Chapter 84
I was barely able to return to my room.
After returning to the capital after a long time, there were quite a few people trying to catch me.
His Majesty the Emperor personally invited me to a banquet, and I had to spend time meeting nobles of the Senate and judges of the Supreme Court, and then the Pantheon called me and held another feast.
Then Karma Company.
Then the Operarium people invited me again…
Only after consuming a full day's schedule was I finally able to return to my room in the Magic Tower Temple.
A place I left determined never to return to...
Flopping down on the neatly made bed in the room, I end up letting out a hollow laugh.
How did it come to this?
Shouldn't I have just stayed quietly buried away for life normally?
Seriously, what happened to my dignity if I came back like this in less than a year after saying tearful goodbyes?
My face turned slightly towards the goddess statue hanging on the wall.
The Goddess Lilia was still smiling gently.
I looked at her and ended up giving a hollow laugh.
This isn't right.
I couldn't even imagine how much faith the Demon King's power had sucked up from this incident now.
It’s probably still growing in real time even now, right?
And when that power finally fully blooms.
What kind of end will come to humanity.
I didn't even want to imagine.
Iomene. Almene. And Erpha.
The women I loved, and of course the entire empire.
Furthermore, the human species itself on the entire continent might go extinct. Even if they survived, they’d probably spend a terribly miserable time under the Demon King's reign.
"...But wait a minute."
I had been so busy taking care of the sick in Scrap Yard that I hadn't had time to properly reflect, but thinking about it now, something seemed strange.
Strange to the point of being seriously strange.
Didn't Mammon shatter my heart?
And then when I woke up, all the Mammon followers had disappeared and forces from the Pantheon and imperial family had been sent.
Moreover, from what those people said, a pillar of light came from my body... and burned all the Mammon followers.
I also saw the Goddess Lilia in a dream too.
No, something doesn't add up?
Why did a pillar of light burst out when there's a Demon King's power inside my body?
And why did the demon followers hit by that pillar of light all die unable to do anything like debuffed mobs?
I clutched my head.
What on earth is inside my soul?
Why did the Goddess Lilia say she would punish me, but then appear in my dream as if helping me?
This confusing question was suddenly suppressed as one idea popped into my head.
"...Can't I just ask directly?"
How much faith had it sucked up.
Moreover, judging from this incident, it seemed to have grown strong enough to even deal with Mammon.
This thing.
It clearly had intelligence.
"Excuse me..."
If only there hadn't been a knocking sound.
And if only three women hadn't burst in as the door opened.
"Saint."
And if only those three women didn't look very angry.
"We thought you were dead!!"
"Do you know how worried we were!!"
"We're not letting you sleep tonight. You know that, right?"
And if only they hadn't rushed at me, skipping all greetings and everything.
I probably would have tried talking to the Demon King's power inside me.
Well, what can I do?
"W-wait. First, let me wash…!"
My urgent words were devoured by a carpet bombing of kisses.
And well...
If it weren't for Body Modification, no joke, really.
It seemed like it would be possible to die from overexertion.
It was a night where I could newly realize once again how scary the sexual desire of women truly were.
***
There was a saying called pillow talk.
Lying together after sex and having intimate conversations.
With everyone's spirits and bodies half-drained and drowsy, all tangled together under the blanket, I could understand why intimate conversations come out.
The atmosphere itself was one where one couldn't help but have deep conversations.
"You have to leave again, don't you?" Erpha asked while fiddling with my ear.
At those words, I nodded.
"I have to go."
I had to leave again.
Without being able to give any explanation.
Without being able to tell any reason, I had to leave again.
"I'm sorry."
At my words, the three women smiled.
"This relationship came about because we forced it, right? You remember?"
"We won't resent you or try to hold you back. Saint, do what you feel you need to do."
"And somehow it feels like… Saint always says you're leaving, but it feels like you'll always return to our side."
At those words, I unconsciously clenched my fist.
No.
I really won't come back this time.
I'm really going to be determined and go to an uninhabited area with absolutely no people and live in seclusion.
"You need to live well without me too. I'm sorry for being so irresponsible every time..."
"Just live well while you're here."
"Don't say things like that."
I wanted to propose.
I loved these women.
I wanted to make the relationship clear and live together, but given my circumstances, I absolutely couldn't do that.
Feeling like my mental state might waver again, I ultimately decided not to think about this.
Instead, I decided to talk about something else.
"How's Scrap Yard?"
"Karma Company is carrying out large-scale expansion construction."
"They just declared they'll demolish the damaged blast furnaces and properly invest money to make much higher performance furnaces."
"They say it won't take that long to rebuild since all facilities except the blast furnaces are fine."
They said Scrap Yard would be reborn on an even larger scale than before.
They said they planned to build 3 new blast furnaces while rebuilding the existing ones, and the Arcane Furnaces for magic metal refining would be expanded to enable production of much larger and purer metals by introducing Erpha's Three Primary Colors research.
They say construction speed had become much faster than before even though workers' working hours had decreased, thanks to feeding and housing them well and giving high wages.
"What about Department Operarium?"
"The Labor Office has gotten busy too."
Operarium.
They say the Labor Office's investigators were immediately dispatched throughout the empire.
Moving together with the Pantheon, they were thoroughly investigating and examining businesses that had infringed on workers' rights, with the irrefutable justification that raising workers' living standards prevented demon followers from appearing.
They say they expected workers' living standards throughout the empire would greatly improve soon.
That was a very good thing.
"They say a considerable number of Scrap Yard's workers are now followers of Lilia."
"The White Order's followers have increased too. Ketratus' activities seem to have been impressive."
"They say the Pantheon's influence has never been this great in the past 300 years. It's all thanks to you, Saint."
But why?
The more I heard these good news, the more scared I became.
Where will all that faith ultimately go?
Thinking about that, I couldn't help but feel fear.
"Amael..."
"Don't hold back. Iomene. Come on, Erpha too."
The conversation didn't last long.
Was it because they were tired from using their bodies so intensely?
Or was it because they felt at ease with me by their side?
Before long, the women all fell asleep in my arms.
After confirming they were asleep, I carefully used Time Stop.
In this familiar yet bizarre space where everything in the world was stopped.
I quietly sat cross-legged with my eyes closed, releasing Time Stop only in the space where I could sit.
The Demon King's power said to be in my soul.
I was thinking of talking to that guy directly.
"Are you listening?"
There was no answer.
I felt a bit awkward, but I continued speaking with confidence.
"Asmodeus in my soul. Are you listening?"
There was still no answer.
"Answer if you're listening."
Still silence.
I turned my head to briefly look at my sleeping women.
I clenched my fist.
"I said answer!! You're listening, aren't you!? Why me!? Why did you have to come into my body and cause trouble!?"
I didn't want to be apart from those women.
Really.
I just wanted to quietly live while playing the role of saint normally.
How did it come to this?
When one thought about it, it was all because of this guy who arbitrarily came to stay in my soul.
"I know you're conscious, okay? If not, who else could have saved me from Mammon? It was you, right? What's your purpose? Why are you doing this to me? What are you trying to do to me!!"
There was still no answer.
"Why are you doing this to me? Why me of all people…?"
Even when I muttered dejectedly, there was no reaction, as if mocking me.
I released Time Stop.
Raising my head, I see the benevolently smiling statue of the Goddess Lilia looking down at me.
Wasn't it said to be the face of the goddess directly seen and described by the first Grand Priest who had met the goddess in the past?
Although it was an extremely benevolent image of the goddess, to me she was just the most resentful being.
"Actually, I don't want to be martyred."
As expected.
The goddess didn’t answer either.
The Asmodeus guy in my soul didn’t answer, and the Goddess Lilia just shouted she'd send me to hell but hadn't given any answer since then.
The good gods of the Pantheon too.
The demons of hell too.
And the Evil God bastard too.
It was a night where I came to dislike all beings called gods.
***
Asmodeus was quietly looking down at the sight of Amael crying silently alone.
A pitying emotion appeared on her face.
She wanted to speak to him as Amael had demanded.
But she couldn't.
She turned her head back to look at the cause.
[What's your reason for interfering with me?]
Iron chains were wrapped around her twisted black left wings.
And those chains were held in someone's hand.
A huge pair of horns.
Burning red skin.
Goat pupils.
A forked tongue.
And a being with twisted black wings grown exactly like Asmodeus's left wings.
[Lucifer.]
At Asmodeus' question, Lucifer chuckled.
It was a smiling face, but he certainly wasn't smiling because he was happy.
Anger.
Tremendous anger dwelled in Lucifer's face.
[If you spill the truth, that guy will immediately turn to the Pantheon's side, won't he? I can't allow that.]
Lucifer looked down at the sobbing Amael while chuckling.
His smile deepened.
[It's better for that fool who's so kind it's stupid to continue being under the delusion that the Pantheon will put him in hell. That resentment towards the Pantheon is very useful to us. So you need to keep your mouth shut from now on too, Asmodeus.]
[The great Lucifer using all his strength can only manage to block my mouth now. You've gotten quite weak, haven't you?]
As Asmodeus smiled and said that gently, suddenly Lucifer's body began to grow.
Hellfire began to flow from his body.
[You know that even if you add up all six others in Pandemonium, they can't defeat me alone, right? Asmodeus. I'm not Mammon. Don't get cocky just because you swallowed some faith.]
[Seeing you get upset, you are the Pride's Lucifer I knew. But you know.]
The chains wrapping Asmodeus's left wings rattled roughly.
[It's soon. Lucifer. You won't be able to stop me forever either.]
At Asmodeus' words, Lucifer extinguished the hellfire he had been raising from his body and returned to his original form.
[I admit it. The fact that you've recovered your original power unprecedentedly quickly because of what that saint bastard did. That time is on your side too. That someday you'll become strong enough to defeat me. I admit it all.]
Lucifer's gaze fell from Asmodeus and turned to Amael.
[But what if that guy falls before then? What do you think if he decides to side with Pandemonium?]
[Then I become a Demon King again. But do you think that will be easy?]
Lucifer smiled.
[I know humans very well. No matter how great that guy is, he won't pass my test. I'll corrupt him and make you sit on one of the seven thrones again.]
Lucifer firmly gripped the chains and left Asmodeus's domain.
And as soon as he left, he had to frown at the baptism of divine power pouring down relentlessly from the sky.
[Damn Pantheon bastards.]
Because Asmodeus had greatly strengthened the connection between the celestial and human realms that Lucifer had painstakingly gnawed away at for 300 years, from that moment until now, the Pantheon bastards had been desperately trying to send down all kinds of divine words, revelations, and chosen ones without rest.
Because of that, Lucifer had to devote himself solely to interfering so the Pantheon couldn't intervene in the human realm, taking his hands off all other matters.
The results of 300 years of effort had flown into the air, but Lucifer didn't feel that bad.
[I'll surely corrupt that Amael guy you cherish so much.]
Because corrupting just one human would bring enormous gains that could make all the losses suffered until now seem trivial.
After throwing mockery towards the Pantheon, Lucifer returned to hell.
At his mockery, the gods of the Pantheon began to send down divine words even more urgently.
[Amael...! Asmodeus... No...!]
[Life's... Lilia…!!]
[Inside you... Lilia..!!]
They were urgently pouring divine words, but all those divine words were blocked by Lucifer's meticulous interference and disappeared futilely echoing through the spiritual realm without a single one being properly conveyed.