Chapter 50
After the procedure ended, the Imperial family returned to the palace with smiles of pure happiness.
The Empress held her daughters tightly in her arms for the entire ride, showering them with kisses without a care for her usual dignity, while the Emperor clasped both of their hands as if he would never let go.
Even after they arrived at the palace, the four of them remained inseparable.
“My beloved daughters. My dear Iomene. Almeine.”
At the Emperor’s uninhibited display of affection, the twin princesses beamed.
“I love hearing those words.”
“Please say it often to Iomene, Father. She must have been so lonely.”
“A hundred times. A thousand times, if that’s what it takes. I love you, Iomene. I love you.”
Iomene gazed quietly at her aging father before gently nestling into his embrace.
The man who had commanded her suffering for sixteen years.
But now, after inheriting Almeine’s memories, she understood.
She knew how much pain he had endured during those years.
She also understood what it meant for an Emperor—the ruler of an entire empire—to choose his daughter over his own kingdom.
Cautiously, she nestled between her mother and father and indulged in the affection she had been deprived of for so long.
“I want dessert.”
“You can have any dessert you want. As much as you want.”
“I want to walk barefoot in the gardens.”
“As much as you like! You can explore every garden in the palace, for as long as you want!”
“From now on, tell me you love me every day.”
“I will, Iomene. I will say it every single day.”
The Emperor held her tightly, tears welling in his eyes as he spoke.
I’ll give you anything.
At those words, Iomene glanced at Almeine.
Almeine’s cheeks flushed briefly before she gave a small nod.
Receiving her twin’s silent approval, Iomene turned back to her father with a bright, expectant smile.
“Father, there’s something I really want.”
Her tone was informal, childlike, and lacking the refinement expected of a princess.
But the Emperor didn’t mind.
“What is it, Iomene? Tell me anything.”
“A husband. Can I pick my own?”
With a blunt, expressionless face, she delivered those words.
And, of course, the Emperor—
“Of course you can.”
—grinned as he gave his approval.
Iomene and Almeine had left.
Now, as Imperial Princesses and Saintesses, they would live noble and dignified lives.
It was for the best.
Now, I could finally prepare to disappear in peace.
There was still some time left before Orgen, the Tower Master, finished tuning my psychic amplifier.
That meant these final days…
Would be my last moments as a saint.
So, I spent that time healing the sick and injured, hoping that my good deeds would earn the Goddess’s forgiveness.
Orgen visited me occasionally, observing my treatment sessions with keen interest whenever he took breaks from working on my amplifier.
“How much longer will it take, Tower Master?”
“I’ll have it done within five days. I’d do it faster if I could, but this artifact is incredibly delicate.”
Five days.
That was enough.
In those five days, I carefully researched which city I would flee to—a place where the temple’s influence was weak but where law and order still prevailed.
Erfa never came to see me again.
Well, of course she wouldn’t.
I had rejected her to her face.
Thinking about her hurt, but…
This was for the best.
If she hated me, then when I was gone, she wouldn’t long for me.
Now, I could finally leave without regrets.
Finally…
Or at least, that’s what I thought.
Until—
“Saint! We’re here!”
“Saint! We missed you!!”
One morning—
The twin princesses ambushed me.
Without the Emperor.
Without the Empress.
With only a minimal escort, they had come here alone.
“Your Highnesses. Are you feeling well?”
Now that their minds had recovered, I needed to stop speaking to them like they were children.
But as soon as I spoke, both of them burst into laughter.
The two of them stepped forward—
And simultaneously dove into my arms.
“When it’s just us, call us by our names.”
“We’re not ‘Your Highnesses.’ Just call us by our names.”
They gazed up at me, their eyes filled with mischief.
“…Iomene. Almeine.”
I complied with their request.
“I’m glad you’re both okay. I hope from now on, you’ll only have happiness in your lives.”
Hearing those words, they tightened their embrace around me.
But I gently pushed them away.
“I’m busy today. I don’t think I can spend time with you two. Shouldn’t you be busy as well? Why did you come here?”
At that, Iomene wordlessly pulled something from her bag.
A bottle of alcohol.
“Let’s have a birthday party together, Saint!”
“We wanted you to celebrate our birthday with us.”
…A birthday party?
What the hell were they talking about?
“The day you saved me, Saint… that was our nineteenth birthday. We thought it would be fitting to have a birthday party with a bit of alcohol, like a coming-of-age celebration. Don’t you think so, Saint?”
It was something worth celebrating.
But in five days, I would be gone.
What was the point of making memories like this?
After I disappeared, I had no intention of returning as a saint.
Sweet memories with people I would never see again…
Would only make it more painful.
I intended to reject them.
I planned to turn them down coldly, in a detached and emotionless tone.
“As I said, I’m busy today. I’d prefer if you both returned to the palace. A birthday party would be much grander and more wonderful if you had it there—”
No.
I made a mistake.
I had looked into Iomene’s eyes.
They were filled with unshed tears, glistening with sorrow.
I felt like an irredeemable piece of trash.
“…We can’t? Really?”
“The procedure was so exhausting, Saint.”
“It’s not even anything special. We just wanted to drink and talk with you. Just for a little while. That’s all.”
“Iomene has never had a birthday party in her entire sixteen years of life. This is her first one, Saint. And you still won’t celebrate with us?”
Like a well-rehearsed performance, the two princesses pressed me from both sides, working together in perfect synchronization.
Damn it.
This isn’t good.
The fact that Iomene had never once had a birthday party in her life weighed on me.
And I knew better than anyone how lonely her life in the separate palace had been.
A child who had spent her life in pain and isolation was, for the first time, asking for a birthday celebration.
Conflict.
Inner turmoil.
Hesitation.
And in the end—
The words that came out of my mouth were:
“Just for today. After today, don’t come looking for me again.”
Their faces lit up instantly.
“Saint, you’re the best!!”
“I’m so happy!!”
As they snuggled into my arms, I could only let out a bitter laugh.
“If you had held the party in the palace, it would have been grander and more extravagant. His Majesty and Her Majesty would have made sure of it. I don’t even have a gift for you.”
At that, Iomene shook her head.
“Your existence is already a gift to me. Besides, from now on, Almeine and I will have more celebrations and banquets than we can count.”
“Iomene is right. I just wanted something small, just the three of us. It’s more… intimate that way.”
Well.
What choice did I have?
The birthday belonged to them.
I should let them have it the way they wanted.
“…Alright. We’ll do it your way.”
And so, the drinking began.
Iomene and Almeine had come fully prepared.
They had brought snacks, glasses, and—of course—a high-quality bottle of liquor.
Soon, the three of us were sipping on a drink that was far stronger than I expected.
“This is… quite strong.”
“It burns a little.”
“I think I’m getting a little dizzy. Haha!”
But despite their words, both of them were perfectly fine.
Meanwhile, I was already feeling the effects—my face was turning red.
I hadn’t expected them to be such ridiculously strong drinkers.
“Saint, we want to know more about you.”
As the atmosphere settled into a warm, relaxed mood, and our glasses were emptied and refilled several times—
Almeine suddenly spoke in a voice so soft and gentle it was almost like an ASMR whisper.
They wanted to know more about me?
What was there to know?
I was just a nobody.
“Jericho Amael. The useless youngest son of a prophet family who couldn’t even see prophecies. A guy who wandered into the slums one day and started healing people—by pure luck—until he ended up here.
That’s all I am. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“I’m curious. Isn’t it exhausting, helping and healing so many people? If it were me, I wouldn’t want to do it.”
Iomene’s tone was casual, blunt, different from Almeine’s formal way of speaking.
Was it exhausting?
No.
Helping people… seeing them smile when they were healed…
That wasn’t difficult.
What was difficult was not knowing why the Goddess wanted to send me to Hell.
“…It’s not exhausting. But it’s hard being somewhere I don’t want to be.”
“Then, where do you want to be, Saint?”
That formal tone—Almeine’s voice.
Even though their voices were identical, I could tell them apart by the way they spoke.
Where did I want to be?
“Somewhere peaceful.”
Somewhere I didn’t have to worry about going to Hell.
Somewhere I didn’t have to fear that the people thanking me today would turn on me the moment they learned the truth.
I just wanted to be somewhere like that.
“This place is peaceful, isn’t it?”
“…Not for me.”
At some point, we had emptied quite a few bottles.
I could feel the intoxication creeping in.
I could remove the alcohol’s effects instantly with my physical modifications, but I didn’t.
It had been so long since I’d let myself drink.
This rare moment of quiet.
This conversation with people who were actually listening.
And the crushing sadness of knowing I would soon have to leave behind someone I love.
Maybe that’s why I didn’t fight the buzz.
“You still have something you need to do, don’t you?”
“Yeah. I do. Something really important, Iomene.”
Quitting this whole ‘Saint’ act.
Running away—far, far away.
And living like I never existed.
“The witch with four arms… Her name was Erfa , wasn’t it? Is she your lover, Saint?”
Almeine asked, her tone light, curious—befitting of a nineteen-year-old girl.
“I saw it through Iomene’s memories. You two kissed.”
Ah.
I suppose it made sense for them to bring up romance at their age.
I let out a bitter chuckle at Almeine’s words.
“No. Erfa and I aren’t lovers.”
“Then why did you kiss her?”
Iomene’s voice had a slight edge to it.
Why did I kiss her?
“Because… I’m a coward.”
“Saint is not a coward!”
Almeine immediately shot back, her voice indignant.
But… she was wrong.
I was a coward.
“No, Almeine. I am a coward. I’m such a coward that I can’t even accept the feelings of the woman I love. Instead, I toyed with her heart, gave her false hope, and now… I’m planning to leave her behind.”
I love Erfa.
I want to stay with her.
I want to be happy with her.
But I can’t.
If she stays by my side, she’ll suffer.
She’ll be dragged into my destruction.
“I have to leave. Soon.”
Maybe it was the alcohol.
Or maybe… it was because, for the first time since coming to this world, someone was actually listening.
But before I knew it, I was spilling everything.
“I have to get far away from here. How could I accept Erfa’s love, knowing that? Knowing I’d be abandoning her? Can you imagine how much pain she’d be in, left behind, waiting for someone who’s never coming back?”
I clenched my fists.
“So I had to push her away. But I… I didn’t want to hurt her.
That’s why…
That’s why I kissed her.
Because I didn’t want her to feel rejected.
It doesn’t make sense, does it?”
It was contradictory.
A pathetic, self-defeating contradiction.
If I truly wanted her to move on, I shouldn’t have kissed her.
I should have been cruel—cold enough to make her hate me.
But I couldn’t.
I was nothing but a spineless fool.
“…I see.”
“So that’s how it is.”
The two of them responded in unison.
I let out another bitter laugh.
“I’m trash. A weak, indecisive coward. I don’t deserve to be by Erfa’s side.”
A lump formed in my throat.
My chest tightened.
Tears welled up.
And before I knew it—
The two princesses embraced me.
Gently, softly, they patted my back—the same way I had comforted Iomene.
“You’re leaving to fight the evils of this world, aren’t you?
As a Seer, you must have foreseen great disasters ahead.”
“You must be afraid… having to leave to hunt demon worshippers and evil cultists. It’s okay.
For now, just rest.
You can sleep, Saint.”
…That wasn’t why I was leaving.
I wasn’t off to fight evil.
I was running away.
I was fleeing from Hell.
But…
My tongue felt heavy.
I was too drunk.
Too tired.
And with their warmth wrapped around me—
For the first time in two lifetimes—
I felt like I wasn’t alone.
And so, I broke down.
I sobbed.
All of my fears—
The terror of Hell.
The paranoia that the people who adored me would one day kill me.
All of it poured out in ugly, helpless cries.
And they simply held me.
How long did I cry?
I didn’t know.
But when the emotions finally left me, a deep, suffocating exhaustion took their place.
“Come, Saint.”
“We’ll help you.”
Their hands gently guided me.
To the bed.
“Don’t worry.”
“Saint helped us. Now we’ll help you.”
“You can leave whenever you need to.
Do what you have to do.”
“Don’t worry about Erfa-nim, either. We’ll take care of that for you.”
I could barely process their words.
The alcohol had dulled my thoughts, making everything feel distant… warm… comforting.
From above me, their voices echoed like a dream.
“…We love you, Saint.”
“And… we’re sorry.
We planned this.
We came here intending to get you drunk.”
“Dulanier’s Holy Mark is convenient.
It lets us use miracles to nullify alcohol.
So we kept casting it on ourselves—but not on you.”
“We had to do it this way.
Because otherwise, you never would have accepted our feelings.”
“…We’re sorry.
But this is your fault too, Saint.”
“You took all of our hearts—
And yet, you’re the one trying to leave.
That’s what makes you the bad one.
It’s all your fault, Saint.”
Something soft and warm pressed against my skin.
A sensation that made me feel…
Comfortable.
Safe.
Sleepy.
They must have tucked me in…
“…Wait. Iomene, if you put it in so suddenly— Ah♥… Ugh♥…”
“…Since our senses are linked, it almost feels like there are two of him. How strange.”
I was too tired.
I had been through too much.
Goddess…
I’ve worked so hard to help people.
And now, I just want to disappear.
So please…
Just let me sleep.
With that final thought—
Everything faded to black.
Join Our Patreon
Support our translations and gain early access.
Read up to 5 chapters ahead before the official release!