After the procedure was over, the royal family returned to the palace with happy faces.
The Empress held her daughters close in her arms and kissed them without dignity the entire way back, and the Emperor had a firm grip on the hands of the Two Princesses.
Even after returning to the palace, the four of them couldn’t seem to untangle themselves from each other.
“My beloved daughter. Beloved Iomenes. Almenes.”
At the Emperor’s unrestrained expressions of love, the Two Princesses smiled gently.
“I love it when you say that.”
“Tell it more to Iomenes, Father. She must have been lonely for so long.”
“I’ll tell her a hundred, a thousand more times. I love you, Iomenes. I love you.”
Iomenes looked silently at her aging father before embracing him tightly.
The one who had originally ordered her to endure sixteen years of suffering.
But now, having inherited Almenes’ memories, she understands.
How much pain the Emperor must have endured during those years.
And also what it means that the ruler of the Empire chose her over the Empire itself.
Iomenes carefully positioned herself between her father and mother and acted like a child, indulging in all the spoiled behavior she hadn’t been able to before.
“I want some dessert.”
“I’ll let you have as much dessert as you want.”
“I want to walk barefoot through the garden.”
“As much as you please. You can roam through all the palace gardens whenever you want!”
“Promise to tell me you love me every day from now on.”
“Indeed, Iomenes. Whatever you wish, your father will grant it to you.”
The Emperor, holding Iomenes tightly, said this with tear-filled eyes.
He would grant her anything.
Iomenes looked silently at Almenes, who was watching their interaction.
Almenes’s expression turned slightly red for a moment before she nodded slightly.
Receiving the permission from her other half, Iomenes looked happily back at her father.
“Father, there’s something I really want.”
A manner of speech utterly inappropriate for a princess.
Her undignified words seemed to matter little to the Emperor, who showed no concern.
“What is it, Iomenes? Speak your wish.”
“A groom. Can I choose one?”
With an innocent and expressionless face, Iomenes said this.
And naturally, the Emperor
“Of course.”
agreed with a smile.
*
Iomenes and Almenes had departed.
Now, as princesses and saints, they would live noble lives from here on.
Perhaps it’s for the best.
Finally, I think I can quietly prepare to depart alone.
The tuning of my psychic amplifier by Dulaneer of the Mage Tower still had a bit of time remaining.
This remaining time was my last moments as a Saint.
I helped those who came to me, injured and in pain, to be healed as a way to atone and seek forgiveness from the Goddess.
Dulaneer kept his promise, observing my healing acts as he tuned the amplifier whenever he could.
“How much longer, Master of the Mage Tower?”
“I’ll try to finish it within five days. I wish I could do it faster, but this is such a delicate antique.”
Five days.
That will be sufficient.
During these five days, I searched for a city where I could disappear, somewhere out of the influence of the church but still reasonably safe.
Erpa no longer came to see me.
She wouldn’t, would she? It’s almost as if she’s been outright rejected by me.
Every time I thought of her, my heart ached, but this is better.
It would be better if she hated me so she wouldn’t miss me after I disappeared.
Now, I truly feel ready to leave with a light heart.
Lightly…
I was about to leave when…
“Saint! We’re here!”
“Saint! I’ve missed you!”
One morning.
The twin princesses ambushed me suddenly.
Without Emperor Your Majesty and Empress Ma’am, they came with only the bare minimum of guard.
“Your Highnesses, are you well?”
Now that my self has been restored, I should probably stop using the tone that treated them like puppies.
Carefully saying this, Almenes and Iomenes burst out laughing simultaneously.
They quietly approached and suddenly hugged me at the same time.
“Just call us by our names when we’re together.”
“Your Highness sounds so stiff. Call me by my name. Call me by my name.”
They looked up at me with mischievous expressions.
“Iomenes. Almenes.”
I followed their request.
“I’m glad you’re better. I hope there will be only happiness from now on.”
They hugged me even tighter upon hearing my words.
But I gently pushed them away.
“I’m busy today, so I might not be able to spend time with you both. Aren’t you both busy? Why have you come here?”
At this, Iomenes silently pulled out a bottle from her prepared bag.
“Let’s have a birthday party! Saint!”
“Saint, we would like for you to celebrate our birthday.”
A birthday party? What’s this about?
“The day you saved me was our 19th birthday. It seemed perfect to combine an adult ceremony with a birthday party and have a little wine. Don’t you think so, Saint?”
It’s something to celebrate.
But I will be gone in five days.
What’s the point of making memories like this?
After all, after I disappear, I don’t intend to return as a Saint.
Sweet memories with someone you’ll never see again only make the heart ache.
That’s why I was about to reject their request.
In the coldest and most detached tone I could manage.
“As I’ve said, I’m busy today. I would prefer you both to return to the palace. A birthday party at the palace would be much grander and better…”
No.
I accidentally looked into Iomenes’ eyes.
They were half-filled with tears, and her expression was sorrowful.
Suddenly, I felt like the worst kind of trash.
“No? Really?”
“It was so hard to endure the procedure, Saint.”
“I just wanted to drink some wine and talk. It’s not a big deal, just a little while. I won’t hold onto you long.”
“Iomenes hasn’t had a birthday party in sixteen years. This is the first one. Even so, will you refuse, Saint?”
The two princesses systematically pressured me as if they had prepared a script.
d*mn it.
I shouldn’t be doing this…
But I’m troubled by the fact that she hasn’t had a birthday party in sixteen years.
And I know very well how lonely and painful her time spent alone in the summer palace must have been.
A girl who has suffered loneliness and pain her entire life is asking to celebrate her first birthday.
Thoughts.
Anxiety.
Wandering.
And finally, the words that came out of my mouth were these.
“Only today. Don’t come back after today.”
Their faces immediately brightened.
“Saint, you’re the best!”
“We’re so happy!”
Looking down at the two of them who had snuggled into my arms, I couldn’t help but smile wistfully.
“If you had the party at the palace, it could have been grand and more splendid. Emperor Your Majesty and Empress could have hosted a splendid one. I haven’t even prepared a gift for you.”
At my words, Iomenes shook her head.
“Your existence alone is a gift to me. Besides, Almenes and I will be tired of endless banquets in the future.”
“Indeed, Iomenes is right. I would like to have an intimate party with just the three of us. It feels much more special and nice that way, doesn’t it?”
What.
What can I do?
Since the two birthday girls wish it, we should do as they want.
“Fine, let’s do it your way.”
And so the drinking party began.
Iomenes and Almenes were thoroughly prepared.
Simple appetizers and wine glasses were quickly set up.
The three of us began to sip on some high-quality wine with a decent alcohol content.
“This wine is pretty strong.”
“My throat feels scorched.”
“My head feels a bit dizzy too. Haha!”
Even as they said this, both Almenes and Iomenes appeared completely fine.
On the other hand, my face was turning red as the buzz started to get to me.
I didn’t realize they could drink so much. This wine is ridiculously strong.
“I want to learn more about Saint.”
As the glasses were filled and emptied several times, creating a soft ambiance, Princess Almenes suddenly asked in her soft, cushioned voice, as if recording an ASMR.
Learn about me?
What is there to know about me?
I’m a nobody.
“I am Jericho Amael, the useless youngest child of the prophet family who can’t prophesy. One day, I went to the slums and started healing sick people, which is how I ended up here. That’s me. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“I’m curious. Doesn’t it feel difficult to heal and help people, Saint? I feel like I would find it hard and not want to do it.”
With a different tone of speech from Almenes, Iomenes asked.
Does it feel difficult?
No.
It’s not difficult.
Rather, it’s fulfilling.
Seeing people healed and becoming happy is not difficult.
It’s only painful because I don’t understand why the Goddess wants to send me to hell.
“It’s not hard. What’s hard is having to stay where I don’t want to be.”
“Then where would you like to be, Saint?”
This was Almenes’s voice, different from Iomenes’s casual speech.
Where would I like to be…
“A peaceful place.”
A place where I don’t have to worry about being sent to hell.
A place where I don’t have to worry about the people bowing to me turning cruel the moment they discover my secret.
That’s where I want to be.
“Isn’t it peaceful here?”
“Not for me.”
The wine bottle had been emptied quite a bit by now.
I was feeling drunk.
I could have used my body modification to eliminate the buzz instantly, but I chose not to.
It had been a long time since alcohol entered my body.
The conversation partners who listened to me calmly.
And the melancholy of parting from the two women I love soon.
Because of all these, my tense and aggrieved mind felt consoled.
“You still have something to do, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do. Iomenes. Something I have to do.”
Abandoning my role as the Saint and running far, far away until I fade into obscurity like a dead mouse. That’s my task.
“Four-armed witch named Erpa. Is she Saint’s lover? Through Iomenes’ memories, I saw you two kissing.”
Were the two of them, now 19, asking appropriate questions about love?
At Almenes’ words, I had to give a wry smile.
“No. Erpa and I are not lovers.”
“If you’re not lovers, why did you kiss?”
Iomenes asked with a slightly emotional tone.
Why did we kiss?
“Because I’m a cowardly coward.”
“You’re not a coward, Saint!”
Both honorific and informal speech mixed together.
Almenes snapped and said this.
But, you’re wrong.
Almenes.
I am the biggest coward in this world.
“No, Almenes. I am a coward. A coward who couldn’t accept the heart of the woman I love and merely played with her feelings before leaving.”
I like Erpa.
I want to be happy with her for a long time.
But that’s something I can’t do.
If I stay with her, she will eventually meet an unfortunate end.
“I have to leave soon.”
Was it the effect of alcohol?
Or because this was the first time since I arrived here that someone listened to my story so seriously.
The feelings inside me started to spill out.
“I have to go far, far away. But how can I accept Erpa’s feelings? Imagine how much pain she will endure when she’s left alone. So I have to push her away, and I didn’t want to hurt her. So… I kissed her. I didn’t want her to get hurt. Isn’t that a contradiction?”
It’s a contradiction.
Listening to it myself, it’s such a foolish contradiction that makes me sigh.
If I truly didn’t want her to get hurt, I shouldn’t have kissed her in the first place.
I should have been ruthless and made her love turn away.
But I couldn’t do that.
I am a truly indecisive and foolish person.
“I see.”
“That’s right.”
At their words, I gave a wry smile.
“I’m trash. Indecisive and cowardly trash. I’m not someone who deserves to be near Erpa.”
I was about to cry.
The two princesses approached me and hugged me tightly.
They patted me just as I had once done to them.
“Are you leaving to face the evil remaining in this world? As a seer, Saint must have foreseen the misfortunes of the world.”
“You can take a break, Saint. It must be scary to leave for hunting demon worshipers and demons, right? I understand. You can rest peacefully now.”
Not going to hunt demon worshipers and demons.
I’m running away to avoid hell.
Ah…
My tongue is getting tied, and words don’t come out properly.
But receiving their comfort makes all the suppressed feelings inside me rush out at once.
Before I knew it, I was crying in their embrace.
The fear of being sent to hell.
The terror of being killed by people.
It feels a little better to be in someone’s arms.
After crying and crying for a long time,
The combination of wine and the first comfort received after reincarnation drained my emotions, and I was overcome with sudden fatigue.
“Come. Saint. Over here.”
“We’ll help you.”
They gently pulled me towards the bed.
“Don’t worry, Saint.”
“Saint has helped us, so we can help Saint too.”
“You can leave whenever you want. Go and do what you need to.”
“Don’t worry about Erpa. We’ll take care of it for you.”
I don’t fully understand what they’re saying.
My blurred mind due to intoxication is telling me that all of this feels warm and comfortable.
I hear the voices of the two princesses like a dream from above.
“We love you, Saint.”
“And we’re sorry, Saint. We intentionally planned to get you drunk today. The stigmata of Dulaneer canceled out the miracles that would eliminate the effects of wine. It was applied on both Iomenes and me.”
“I didn’t think Saint would ever accept our feelings if we didn’t do something like this.”
“Sorry, but it’s also Saint’s fault.”
“Since Saint took our feelings and planned to leave, it’s wrong. It’s all Saint’s fault.”
A soft, warm, and happy sensation began to spread all over my body.
I’m sleepy.
They must have covered me with a blanket.
“Wait a moment. Iomenes, putting it like that… ah♥…”
“It’s amazing. Because we share sensations, it feels like we’re with two people. Fascinating.”
So tired.
I’ve endured too much heartache.
Lady Goddess.
I’ve worked hard treating people until now, right?
And now, I’ll quietly disappear and live in peace.
So just for a moment,
Can I take a short nap?
With this last thought,
My vision darkened as if the film had been cut.
