Late at night.

I lay in my private chamber inside the Mage Tower’s temple, tossing and turning.

Finally, they made a space for the Saint. High Priest Yodel had been overjoyed, making a huge fuss as he prepared this room for me. The bed was spacious, luxurious, and incredibly soft. But I couldn’t sleep.

I was scared.

At any moment, the Goddess might strike me down with divine lightning.

What do I do?

A thousand thoughts raced through my mind.

Should I just disappear and issue a decree forbidding anyone from looking for me?

High Priest Yodel is an OK-man—he always does whatever I say. Wouldn’t he follow my orders if I told him not to search for me?

No. That’s impossible.

The slum dwellers would probably throw a tantrum, begging for my return like children. And then there’s the Lilia Order—they would insist they still need me.

Even OK-man Yodel wouldn’t be able to ignore the overwhelming demands of the entire Lilia Order and the countless slum dwellers. He’d eventually give in and start searching for me.

Either way, I’m doomed.

What the hell am I supposed to do?

How do I survive this?

How did someone with no faith rise to this position?

Look at Karma Company—they’re thriving.

This grand, magnificent Mage Tower Temple is flourishing.

Everything I touch seems to turn to gold.

At this rate, I might really end up stuck living as the Goddess’s Saint.

A life spent in constant fear, never knowing when divine punishment will strike…

Is that really going to be my fate?

I can’t sleep.

Tonight, more than ever, sleep refuses to come.

Maybe a walk would help.

I got up and stepped out of my room.

I decided to take a quiet stroll, circling through the slums. But as I walked, the sight before me made me pause.

The muddy roads, once filled with filth and garbage, had been completely transformed. The streets were being repaved with beautiful bricks, covering the grime that once ruled them.

There were no more people sleeping on the streets.

With so many new jobs, everyone could at least afford a small inn to rest in.

I had heard that many slum dwellers had willingly demolished their own homes in exchange for a promise—they would be given a place in the new buildings once they were completed.

The air was no longer thick with rot and stench.

Instead, a crisp, refreshing breeze filled my lungs, tickling my senses.

As I stood there, taking it all in, a sudden thought struck me.

I’ve been playing the role of a Saint for over half a year now, yet the Goddess still hasn’t punished me.

Could it be… that I’m just too good at my job?

Think about it.

I dug beneath an abandoned factory and uncovered a hidden Elixir Spring that had gone unnoticed for years.

I cleaned up the slums.

I made people happy.

And now, thanks to that, the vast majority of the slum dwellers have converted into Lilia followers.

At this point… maybe the Goddess knows everything and is just letting it slide?

I mean, even if I lack faith, I’m doing such a damn good job that she’s willing to overlook it.

Wait.

No, seriously.

Isn’t that the most logical explanation?

Why didn’t I think of this sooner?

Damn it. My dumbass brain.

I’ve been terrified for no reason this whole time, haven’t I?

All those desperate attempts to escape the order… They were all pointless.

Just as I let out a hollow chuckle, a familiar voice called out from behind me.

“Can’t sleep?”

I turned to see Erfa approaching, her four signature arms swaying gently as she walked.

It was almost 3 AM.

Why the hell was she still awake?

“I went out for a walk… but I got distracted by how much the streets have changed.”

At my words, Erfa smiled as she stepped closer.

“It’s all thanks to you, Saint. If not for you, this place would still be the same filthy, wretched slum it once was.”

“I didn’t do anything. Honestly… I don’t even know how things got this out of hand.”

I really don’t.

I’m just some nobody.

And yet, through sheer coincidence—or fate—I climbed to this position.

Not even through skill, but through the most ridiculous, absurd, and degenerate set of abilities.

How the hell did I get here?

As I muttered to myself, Erfa slowly stepped closer.

I caught a scent.

Was she wearing perfume?

Or did she naturally smell like that?

A pleasant, refreshing fragrance teased my nose.

“May I… hold your hand?”

I gave a small nod.

She carefully reached out and took my hand, her fingers warm against mine.

Then, ever so softly, she pressed a kiss against the back of my hand.

“You have the ability to move people’s hearts. It’s not just because you healed the sick and helped the poor that they call you a Saint.”

…Move people’s hearts, huh?

Ha.

If people knew the truth about me, they’d probably laugh in my face.

Move people’s hearts?

What a joke.

No one knows better than me how selfish and…

How utterly stupid I really am.

“I’m not some great person.”

“You know,” Erfa said, “I once wanted to destroy the world.”

That made me flinch.

I glanced at her.

To be honest, she was still a nuclear bomb.

Sure, her mindset had changed, but the power to end the world was still inside her.

She had simply extinguished the burning fuse.

The explosive force remained, just waiting for a spark.

I studied her face, uneasy, but Erfa looked completely serene.

“I hated everyone.”

Her voice was calm, almost distant.

“I hated a world that refused to acknowledge me. I hated the colleagues who mocked me. But more than anything…”

She hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“I hated myself. Why was I born with such a hideous face? When people threw filth at me, I thought… I should just burn the entire Empire to the ground along with myself. With my research and the magic within me, I could have done it.”

I knew.

I had seen it in my dreams—the destruction she had once envisioned.

“But when you,” Erfa continued, her voice softer now, “kissed my left cheek—the one covered in filth, the one everyone called ugly—everything changed. The resentment inside me, the hatred… it all just disappeared.

“Because someone like you loved me.

“How could I continue to hate myself?”

She smiled.

A bright, refreshing smile.

“It’s ridiculous, isn’t it? After that, everything I ever wanted just… came to me so easily. The position of the next Tower Master. The recognition of my peers. The downfall of the witch who despised me. All of it… just happened. Like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like it was meant to be.”

I nodded.

“That’s good, Erfa.”

“You know,” she mused, “I probably could have fixed my face myself. That’s what my Three Primary Colors Research was for—to develop stronger magic that would allow me to heal myself. If I had just been given another month or two, I probably would have succeeded.”

She placed a hand over her chest.

“But even if I had… I wouldn’t be who I am now. I wouldn’t feel like this.”

She looked at me, her gaze unwavering.

“You changed my heart. And that’s something even magic can’t do.

“Only you could have done that.

“You call yourself insignificant, but you’re not.

“You’re extraordinary.”

I suddenly realized something.

I had never had such a deep conversation with the nuclear bomb witch before.

As we talked, the fear and anxiety I had always felt toward her…

Faded.

Thinking about it now, wasn’t it ridiculous?

Why was I worrying that someone who blushed just from looking at me would suddenly go berserk again?

Just a moment ago, I felt like an idiot for fearing divine punishment that would never come.

And now?

Now, I felt like an idiot for fearing that Erfa, a woman who clearly adored me, would somehow lose control again.

I really…

Why am I such an idiot?

“I’m not extraordinary. I know myself too well for that.”

“But…”

I smiled at her.

“It makes me happy to know that, because of me, so many people can live happily.”

And I wasn’t lying.

The slums had been transformed.

The children who once huddled in the alleyways, selling matches with their burned, scarred faces, were now dressed in fine clothes, attending school.

The nuclear bomb witch had been officially named the next Tower Master and now stood beside me, smiling.

Jonathan Karma and his family laughed together, their faces no longer filled with despair.

Even High Priest Yodel and the others—

All of them had found new purpose, new hope.

All because of me.

Of course…

It was all built on a lie.

A misunderstanding. A misinterpretation.

But so what?

Does it really matter?

Isn’t the fact that I made them happy more important?

No.

No, seriously—

Maybe the Goddess knows everything…

And is just choosing to ignore it.

At this point?

Then what’s the point of fearing punishment?

What’s the point of running away?

Yeah, I don’t have faith.

But faith is easy.

I can start believing in the Goddess right now.

And once I do—

I won’t have to worry anymore.

I won’t have to be afraid of anything.

If everyone calls me a Saint—

Maybe it’s time I start acting like one.

A Thought Crossed My Mind.

“It’s getting cold. I should head ba—”

“Saint.”

Erfa held my hand and refused to let go.

“I want to ask you something… Please, answer me honestly.”

“Of course. If it’s something I can answer, I promise I’ll be truthful.”

“Back when you saved me, you called me beautiful.”

Ah.

Yeah.

I did.

It was actually a stolen line from a famous Miyazaki movie.

“When you said that… even just a little… even the tiniest bit… did you mean it in the way that a woman is beautiful?”

Her face turned red.

For so long, I had only looked at her with fear and anxiety.

But now that those emotions were gone… I finally noticed just how stunning she truly was.

Her beauty was like a built-in charm spell.

I mean, sure, I’m a dedicated Pixiv and TopToon enthusiast.

But no matter how amazing digital art is, nothing beats a real woman.

The scent.

The warmth.

The presence.

Everything about her was perfect.

“Yes. That was included in what I meant.”

I took a deep breath.

“And honestly… even now, being this close to you makes me nervous. Because I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as you up close before.”

Her face, practically radiating a built-in charm spell.

Incredible.

Before I even realized it, I had said those words out loud.

But let’s be real here—

The warmth of a woman’s skin in my hands.

The scent—deep, intoxicating.

And the way a beautiful woman is blushing right in front of me?

Who in their right mind could resist this?

Can you?

I’ve only ever been this close to a woman once before.

Back in college.

I confessed to a junior I had a crush on, only to be hit with, “You’re too nice, senior. You and I just don’t match.”

A few months later, I saw her leaving a motel with a tall, handsome guy.

Ah, fuck.

Why is that garbage memory surfacing right now?

Memories…

Oh.

Before I could dwell on it further, Erfa’s upper arms wrapped around the back of my head.

I saw her rise onto her tiptoes.

The distance between us vanished.

And then—

A soft, warm, and slightly damp sensation pressed against my lips.

Her lower hands, still holding mine, trembled slightly—

from nervousness.

Even I, a lifelong kiss-less virgin, could tell—

This was her first time.

It was clumsy, uncertain.

Less of a kiss, more of a peck.

And then, hesitantly, she pulled away.

“D-Did that… make you uncomfortable?”

If that made me uncomfortable, I’d have to be gay.

“No way,” I said.

“It’s just… I’ve never done this before. That was my first kiss, too.”

Both in Korea and in the Arkhal Empire, this was truly my first.

Hearing that, Erfa beamed.

“I’m so happy!”

Then—she kissed me again.

As I felt her soft lips against mine,

As her fresh, sweet scent tickled my nose,

I had a thought.

Maybe…

Maybe I really could just live as the Saint.

The Goddess seemed to be turning a blind eye to everything.

No punishment, no divine retribution.

Then why bother running anymore?

I don’t have faith?

That’s fine.

I can just start believing right now.

If everyone calls me a Saint…

Maybe it’s time I start acting like one.

And besides—

I now had a woman who loved me.

Maybe it’s time…

I actually enjoy my isekai life.

Hesitating for only a moment,

I slowly wrapped my arms around Erfa’s waist,

Pulling her closer.

Her scent was intoxicating.

And so, at around 3 AM,

In the middle of an empty street,

We stood there—kissing—

For a long, long time.