Chapter 41
“How is Iomene doing, Saint?”
Princess Almeine asked, her face haggard, dark circles deep beneath her eyes.
Whenever she had the energy, she would call for me and ask about Iomene.
“She is recovering, Your Highness.”
It was the truth.
Ever since the Tuesday torture sessions had stopped, Iomene had been improving noticeably.
Hearing this, Princess Almeine smiled in relief.
She absentmindedly touched her left eye.
The magic circle carved into it glowed faintly. Her eye remained firmly shut—sealed shut, never to open.
“Sometimes… horrible sensations and memories slip through the magic and reach me. Just from that alone, I end up bedridden from the pain.
I can’t even begin to imagine what Iomene must have endured.”
“You will get better. I promise you.”
Princess Almeine smiled at my words.
A hidden princess—never once revealed to the public.
If she had been, she would have gained incredible popularity.
She was that beautiful.
“I’ve always tried my best to fill my life with nothing but happy memories.
Pretty things. Beautiful things. Joyful things. Delicious food, wonderful experiences—I made an effort to surround myself with happiness.”
“That’s a good thing, Your Highness.”
“Doesn’t it seem selfish? While Iomene was suffering in the palace, I was hoarding all the happiness to myself.”
I shook my head.
I understood why she did it.
“If Iomene’s pain could slip through the magic and reach you…
Then you must have thought—maybe your joy could reach her too.”
Princess Almeine chuckled.
“You’re right.
I don’t want Iomene to die.
I want her to get better…
So we can have fun together.
Every time her pain reached me, I was actually… glad.
Of course, it hurt. It was unbearable.
But at least… it felt like I was sharing even a little bit of her burden.”
“…You are noble.”
Perhaps the reason Iomene hadn’t completely lost her mind was because of Princess Almeine’s efforts.
If negative emotions could pass through the magic to Almeine, then the reverse should also be possible.
“Iomene will recover.
After all, the Saint himself is treating her, isn’t he?”
I didn’t know.
I wasn’t some great savior—how could I promise something like that?
But still—
I nodded.
“She will, for sure.”
Princess Almeine smiled.
And I smiled back at her.
It was Tuesday.
Again.
The grandfather clock struck 2 p.m.
Iomene flinched, trembling as she buried herself against me.
I held her close, gently patting her back.
I took her to bed, wrapped her in a blanket, and embraced her.
Slowly, her trembling subsided.
“…Feeling a little better?”
At first, I had spoken to her formally.
But after three weeks of watching her behave more like a frightened child—or even a traumatized pet—it felt unnatural to speak so politely.
Besides—
Once the curse passed onto me, I wouldn’t be around anymore.
So what did it matter?
Iomene lifted her head and looked at me.
“…Want a snack?”
No response.
Had she already eaten too much?
“Then… do you want to sleep?”
She didn’t look tired.
She just kept staring at me.
She couldn’t speak, so I had no idea what she was thinking.
“…A book? Should I read you a story?”
Her eyes changed.
Ah.
So that’s what she wanted.
I pulled out a children’s picture book and opened it in front of her.
The story was nothing special—
A simple, classic, and predictable fairy tale.
But for Iomene, it was a first.
Her eyes sparkled.
I read her three books in total.
Then—
She clung to me again.
She looked up at me.
“…What? What is it this time?”
I couldn’t read her mind just from a silent stare.
Her expression puffed up slightly in frustration.
She raised her arms and waved them weakly, trying to express something.
I waited patiently.
“Uhh… Ahhh… Uhhh…”
Her lips parted—
“Buh… Buu… Buhll… Bu…ll…”
My eyes widened.
Did she just—?
Did she just say something?!
“Buh…ll…rrr…”
Iomene placed her hand over my mouth and hesitantly traced its shape.
“Sing… please… sing for me.”
My mouth hung open.
She spoke.
A full sentence.
“…You want me to sing?”
Iomene didn’t reply.
She just stared at me.
But her wide, expectant eyes made it clear—that was the right answer.
…This is embarrassing.
I suck at singing.
She must remember the times I sang anime songs or children’s songs to calm her down every Tuesday.
But what did it matter?
This was the first thing Iomene had ever clearly asked me for.
“Alright. I’ll sing for you.”
I started singing.
Even I could feel how painfully off-key I was, but Iomene looked happy.
When I sang an upbeat anime theme song, she let out a childlike giggle.
Then—
She climbed down from the bed and started dancing—awkwardly, but happily.
I walked up to her, took her hands, and danced along with her.
She was smiling so brightly.
…Why?
Why did her laughter make my heart ache so much?
I wanted to make her as happy as possible before I had to leave.
So, we danced.
We played.
The dreaded Tuesday at 2 p.m.—the time she feared most—
Was now filled with laughter and joy.
We kept dancing until dinner.
After eating an absurd amount of sweet desserts, we spent the rest of the night playing simple games—hide-and-seek, tag, anything we could do within the palace.
For Iomene, it was pure happiness.
She was so insistent on playing that we didn’t stop until it was midnight.
It was finally time for bed.
“…I’m glad you can smile now.”
I carried Iomene back to her bedroom and tucked her into bed.
“You need to wash up and sleep now. It’s late, okay?”
As I gently stroked her hair, she suddenly pressed her face against my hand.
“…Jo… Joa. I like it.”
“Huh? What do you like?”
“Joa… Like… like…”
She kept repeating the word over and over, grinning ear to ear.
Whoever cursed this girl—
Whoever tormented her for sixteen years—
They were absolute monsters.
Sixteen years.
Sixteen years of unrelenting torture.
She had endured it without fail, every single day.
Even Princess Almeine had collapsed under the burden of it.
Even the Emperor and Empress had been consumed by endless guilt.
What had this child and her family done to deserve this?
“…Very soon, you won’t feel any more pain. You won’t hurt anymore. Okay?”
“A… Ap… a pain?”
“You won’t need treatment anymore. You won’t suffer anymore.
You won’t be afraid anymore.
Because I’m going to heal you.”
And in exchange for that—
I will disappear from this world forever.
We will never see each other again.
But there was no need to explain that part.
“You’ll eat delicious food. You’ll have so much fun.
For every moment of suffering you’ve endured, you’ll experience twice as much happiness.
Your mother and father are incredible people.
They’ll give you everything you ask for.
Anything you want will be yours.”
“…Ev… every… everything?”
“Yes. Everything.
Once you’re better, you’ll be the most loved, cherished, and happiest person in the world.
So don’t give up.
You’ve endured so much—now it’s time to live.”
“…Like. Like.”
Iomene giggled like a child.
The massive wings growing from her back fluttered.
It was late.
I should leave.
“…I’ll be heading back now.
I’ll come again tomorrow, so—”
Iomene grabbed my arm.
Her bright, round eyes stared at me.
“…To…gether.”
Together?
She pointed to the bed.
She looked like a puppy needing to pee.
“…To… to-gether… together…”
…Wait.
Was she asking me to sleep with her?
“No, I need to go back. You can sleep on your own, can’t you?”
“Together. Together.”
She begged.
But I shook my head.
I had to go.
No matter how much this was for her treatment, I had no idea what the Emperor would say if he found out I spent the night in bed with his daughter.
“Sorry. I need to go. Sleeping together… that’s a bit much.”
Iomene pouted.
But what choice did I have?
No father in the world would be okay with some random man sharing a bed with his daughter.
I gave Iomene a reassuring smile and gently pried her hands away.
“How? How? Together? How together?”
Her unsteady voice asked.
She was asking how we could sleep together.
“If we were married, we could sleep together.”
“…Marriage. Then let’s get married!”
Iomene grabbed my hands and shook them excitedly.
This was bad.
Everything had been going fine, so why this all of a sudden?
“…Night… lonely.”
As I hesitated, she mumbled softly.
“…Lonely. No one.”
There was no one in her room.
No one was allowed near her because of the curse.
The only people who ever approached her were the priests—and only on Tuesdays, when they tortured her with divine magic.
Cleaning?
That was handled through magic embedded in the palace.
She had never been given a chance to form any human connection.
“Song. Bed. Together. Together.”
…This was troublesome.
If the Emperor found out, he wouldn’t let this slide.
But…
I was leaving soon anyway.
Would it really matter what I did now?
I wouldn’t actually sleep here.
Just stay by her side until she fell asleep.
“…Alright. Let’s lie down together. I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep.”
Her face lit up like a child’s.
We climbed into bed together.
Iomene clung to me like a puppy, nuzzling against me.
I stroked her hair and sang to her softly.
She must have been exhausted from playing with me all day—
Before long, her eyes began to droop.
“…Tomorrow… again?”
I must have been tired too—
Because I found myself yawning.
I nodded.
“I’ll come again tomorrow, Iomene.”
“…Promise?”
“Yeah… I promise.”
I was too exhausted.
Sleep weighed heavily on my eyelids.
As my head drooped—
I heard her whisper, “Like.”
Her voice was sleepy and content.
And then—
Everything went black.
I woke up at 6 a.m.
Damn, I slept so well.
Carefully, I slipped out of Iomene’s tight embrace.
Then, I quietly left the palace.
…There wasn’t much time left.
I had nothing left to prepare.
I had already told Erfa how to live on without me.
High Priest Yodel and the Lilia Order would remember me as the Saint who nobly sacrificed himself to destroy the Evil God’s Fragment.
A Saint who saved the Princess and the world from destruction.
Not a bad way to go out, right?
As I walked through the city streets at night, a strange feeling settled in.
This would be the last time I’d ever see this place.
…Strange.
I’d hated it here.
And yet, now that I was leaving—I felt…
Weirdly sentimental.
…No.
Screw that.
This place was garbage.
Good riddance.
I muttered under my breath, “Glad to be done with you. Let’s never meet again.”
With that thought, I turned toward the Mage Tower Temple, towering over the slums in the distance.
But then—
I froze.
A horrifying chill ran down my spine.
And I wasn’t the only one.
“…The hell was that?”
“What’s going on?! That… feeling—”
People were pouring out of the Mage Tower Temple, flooding the streets.
Everyone was slowly turning toward the source of this chilling presence.
The Imperial Palace.
That direction.
This sensation—
It was like something evil and monstrous had just descended upon the world.
And then—
High Priest Yodel burst out of the temple, still in his nightclothes, his face pale with terror.
“A… A curse?! Why is there a massive surge of cursed energy—FROM THE IMPERIAL PALACE?!”
The moment I heard those words—
I ran.
I activated Body Enhancement and sprinted forward at full speed.
Why?!
Iomene’s mental state had stabilized.
The Evil God’s Fragment was supposed to be transferring to me soon.
Then why—?!
Why now?!
What kind of bullshit is this?!
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