The late night.
I was tossing and turning in my personal quarters within the Mage Tower Temple.
This was the place that Vice President Yodel had enthusiastically prepared for me, saying that we could finally create a space for the Saint.
The bed was wide and luxurious, soft and comfortable, but I couldn’t get a proper night’s sleep.
I was scared.
At any moment, the goddess might strike me down with a bolt of lightning.
What should I do?
All sorts of thoughts raced through my mind.
Should I issue a strict directive for no one to look for me and then disappear?
Yodel is the ultimate “OK” guy, right? If I gave the order, wouldn’t he listen?
No.
No matter how I thought about it, that was impossible.
If I disappeared, the slum dwellers would likely throw a tantrum like children, begging for me to be found.
Moreover, the members of the Lilia Church would claim they still needed me.
Even the ever-accommodating Yodel wouldn’t be able to ignore the overwhelming demands of the entire Lilia Church and all the slum dwellers. He’d get swept up in the mood and eventually set out to find me—this much was obvious.
No matter what I did, it all seemed doomed.
What should I do? Really.
How can I survive in this situation?
Isn’t it absurd for someone with no faith to have climbed to such a position?
Take the booming Karma Company, for example, and this grand Mage Tower Temple.
Everything I’ve touched has thrived.
At this rate, I might just end up living my life as the goddess’s saint without any escape.
Living in constant fear of divine retribution.
Surely, I wouldn’t have to live my life like that, right?
I couldn’t sleep.
Tonight, more than ever, sleep evaded me.
Perhaps a stroll would help.
I got up from my room.
As I cautiously stepped out for a late-night walk, intending to circle around the slums, I noticed the changes that had taken place in the area.
The muddy roads, once filled with filth and garbage, were being dug up and repaved with beautiful bricks.
People were no longer sleeping on the streets.
I heard that with new job opportunities, they were now able to afford stays in inns, even if it was just for a night or two.
They were reportedly thrilled, having sold their homes for money and eagerly anticipating moving into the new ones that would soon be built in their place.
The air was no longer thick and suffocating with foul odors.
A fresh, invigorating breeze teased my nose.
Standing in the middle of the road, I mindlessly glanced around, and a thought struck me.
Was the reason the goddess had yet to strike me down because I had been doing such a good job? Despite having no devotion, I had nearly passed six months posing as her saint.
Rationally speaking, when we unearthed the unknown source of elixir by excavating the basement of the abandoned factory, it not only brought prosperity but also cleaned up the slums and brought happiness to the people.
Because of that, the vast majority of the slum residents now followed the goddess Lilia.
At this point, it seemed plausible that the goddess knowingly ignored me because I had accomplished so much.
Even though I lacked any semblance of faith, perhaps the goddess subtly approved of my work?
No.
Seriously.
Isn’t this line of thinking correct?
Why hadn’t I thought of this sooner?
My past attempts to escape the church now seemed completely ridiculous.
“Can’t sleep, can you?”
As I stood there, lost in thought and chuckling to myself, I heard a familiar voice from behind.
Erpa, swinging her four symbolic arms, was approaching me.
Why are you still awake at 3 a.m.?
“I just wanted to take a short walk… and I was looking around because the streets have changed so much.”
Upon hearing this, Erpa smiled and came to stand by my side.
“It’s all thanks to you, Saint. If it weren’t for you, this place would still be filthy and grotesque.”
“I haven’t done anything. Honestly, I’m puzzled as to how things have come this far.”
I truly didn’t understand.
How had a nobody like me managed to rise so high simply through the gaming abilities of a lowly person?
As if responding to my musings, the witch cautiously approached me.
She smelled nice.
Either it was perfume, or perhaps her natural scent was this pleasant.
The refreshing fragrance tickled my nose.
“Would you allow me to hold your hand?”
I nodded.
The witch gently took my hand and quietly kissed the back of it.
“You have the ability to touch people’s hearts. People don’t call you the saint just because you’ve cured incurable diseases or helped the poor. There’s something more…”
Touching hearts?
Ha.
Would they still think that if they knew the truth?
What kind of heart-touching abilities could someone as selfish and foolish as me possibly have?
“I’m not that great of a person.”
“I’m the same. I once wanted to destroy the world.”
Her words startled me.
I glanced at her subtly.
Honestly, she was still a nuclear bomb.
Her intentions had changed, but the power that could have destroyed the world still resided within her.
I’d merely extinguished the burning wick in real-time, but the potential for explosion remained.
Despite my unease, Erpa’s expression remained tranquil.
“I hated a world that didn’t acknowledge me… and I hated myself too. Why was I born with such a detestable appearance? Every time someone threw filth at me, I just wanted to burn the entire Empire with the research and magic power I possessed.”
I understood.
She would have recreated the very scene I’d seen in my dreams.
“When you kissed my filthy, ugly left face, everything changed. The resentment, the hatred… all disappeared. If you could love someone like me, how could I hate myself? That moment might have been the first time in my life I learned to love myself.”
Erpa smiled.
Her smile was so vibrant.
“Funny, isn’t it? After that, everything I wanted came true easily. The next head of the Mage Tower, the recognition from my peers, even the downfall of the witch they hated… it happened naturally and predictably. Things I could never have before were suddenly within reach.”
“That’s good, Erpa.”
“I could probably have fixed my face on my own. The Tri-Color research was for that purpose – using powerful magic to restore my face. If I’d been given another month or two, I might have succeeded. But even if I had done that… would I have been like this now? No, it’s impossible.”
Erpa placed her hand on her chest.
“You changed my heart. That’s something not even magic could accomplish. Saint, it was only because of you. You might think of yourself as unimportant, but that’s simply not true. You are a great person.”
I realized I had never had such an in-depth conversation with the nuclear bomb witch before.
As we continued talking, I felt the fear and anxiety I had harbored towards her gradually dissolve.
Now that I thought about it, worrying that someone who had gone out of her way to express such feelings in front of me might suddenly snap and go berserk again was absurd.
I had felt like an idiot earlier for fearing a punishment from the goddess that would never come, and now I felt stupid again for fearing that this woman, who clearly liked me, might suddenly go berserk.
Why am I so foolish?
“I’m not great at all. I know myself well. But still…”
I smiled at Erpa.
“I’m happy that because of me, so many people have found happiness.”
It wasn’t a lie.
The streets of the slums had become clean.
The once-scarred children who sold matches in the back alleys now wore nice clothes and went to school.
The nuclear bomb witch had been recognized as the next head of the Mage Tower and now stood by me with a contented smile.
Joanathan Karma’s family was happy, and the grand vicar Yodel, among others, had all gained vitality because of me.
Of course, all of this stemmed from misunderstanding and illusion.
But so what?
Isn’t it more important that I made them happy?
In fact, isn’t the goddess just turning a blind eye to everything because she knows what I’ve done?
Isn’t that enough?
There’s no need for me to worry about divine punishment and run away.
Even though I lack faith, I could just start believing in the goddess now.
There would be no need for worry or anxiety anymore.
If everyone calls me a saint, and I decide to accept that role fully, everything would be fine, wouldn’t it?
Such thoughts crossed my mind.
“It’s cold at night. Perhaps we should go…”
“Saint.”
Erpa held onto my hand tightly.
“There’s one thing… I just want to ask you honestly.”
“Yes. Ask away. I’ll answer honestly if it’s something I can.”
“When you saved me, you called me beautiful.”
Yes.
I did.
It was a famous line borrowed from Miyazaki’s anime.
“Did that ‘beautiful’… perhaps include even a tiny bit, even a smidgeon, of thinking I was beautiful as a woman?”
Erpa’s face was red.
I had always viewed her with fear and unease, but now that those feelings were gone, I noticed her face — one that rivaled the best enchantment spells.
Even as a regular user of tear sites and top webcomics, I now realized that no amount of internet art could compare to the allure of a real woman.
The smell.
The touch.
The appearance.
Everything was flawless.
“It did. Forgive me, I’m a bit nervous being so close to someone so beautiful.”
Her face, which already carried such a mesmerizing spell, was extraordinary.
My mouth couldn’t keep up with my thoughts.
But really, think about it.
The sensation of another person’s skin on my hand.
The gentle aroma that wafted around her.
And now, there’s this beautiful woman standing close and blushing!
Could anyone bear that?
Could I?
Before Erpa, I’d experienced such a moment only once.
In college.
I confessed to a junior I liked and she said I was too kind for her and we didn’t suit. Later, while working at a convenience store, I saw her with some tall, handsome guy exiting a motel.
Ah, fuck!
Why does that memory come rushing back now?
Memories…
The top two of the four arms attached to Erpa’s body circled the back of my head.
I saw her tiptoe.
Her mesmerizing face closed in quickly.
And then I felt a soft, damp sensation on my lips.
I could feel her lower hands tremble with tension and fear while holding mine.
Definitely a first-timer, even to me, a confirmed bachelor.
It wasn’t really a kiss, more like a quick peck.
She cautiously pulled back.
“Did it feel… unpleasant?”
This would only feel unpleasant if I were gay.
Would it?
“Because I’ve never kissed anyone before. I was probably too clumsy…”
I blankly stared at her.
I knew she had feelings for me, but I didn’t expect her to be this direct.
“Me too.”
Really the first time, ever, in Korea and Arcal Empire combined.
Hearing this, Erpa smiled.
“I’m happy!”
She kissed me again.
As I accepted the kiss and smelled her fresh scent, I thought,
Couldn’t I just continue as the saint?
Isn’t this enough?
The goddess seems to be letting it slide.
I could live as the saint, why not?
I’ve found someone who likes me.
It’s time for me to…
Enjoy a happy life in this world.
I hesitantly wrapped my arms around her waist.
I gently pulled her closer.
The scent near my nose was intoxicating.
At around 3 a.m.,
On a completely deserted street,
We stood there for a long while, lips locked.
