Chapter 84
I barely managed to return to my room.
After returning to the capital for the first time in ages, I should’ve expected people would swarm me.
First, His Majesty the Emperor personally invited me to a banquet, where I spent time mingling with nobles from the Senate and judges from the High Court.
Then the Pantheon summoned me for yet another celebratory gathering.
After that came an invitation from Karma Company.
And then, the folks at Operarium extended theirs…
It was only after a full day of nonstop events that I finally stumbled back into my room at the Tower’s temple.
I’d once vowed never to return to this place.
Collapsing into the neatly made bed, I couldn’t help but let out a hollow chuckle.
How did it come to this?
Wasn’t I supposed to live a quiet, reclusive life?
I cried like a baby when I said goodbye, and here I am, back in less than a year.
What does that make me now?
My eyes drifted toward the statue of the goddess mounted on the wall.
Lady Lilia was still smiling with that same serene expression.
I looked at her and… couldn’t help but let out another empty laugh.
This isn’t how it was supposed to go.
I don’t even want to imagine how much divine faith the Demon King’s Power has absorbed through all this.
Even now, it’s probably growing stronger by the second.
And when that power finally blossoms in full—
What kind of end will it bring upon humanity?
Not just Iomene, Almeine, and Erfa—the women I love.
But the entire Empire.
No—all of humankind on this continent could be wiped out.
Even if they survive, they’d live under the wretched reign of a Demon King.
“…Wait. Hold on a second.”
I’d been so busy treating patients in Scrap Yard, I hadn’t had time to truly reflect.
But now that I thought about it—none of this added up.
Seriously, something was off. Deeply off.
Didn’t Mammon destroy my heart?
And when I woke up afterward, all his followers were gone. The Pantheon and royal forces had already arrived.
According to them, a pillar of light had erupted from my body… incinerating all the Mammon Cultists.
And I did see Lady Lilia in my dream…
But none of it makes sense.
If the Demon King’s power is inside me—why would a beam of holy light burst out?
And why would demon worshippers drop like weakened mobs hit with a divine debuff?
I clutched my head.
Just what the hell is inside my soul?
Why did Lady Lilia, who once said she would punish me, appear in my dream as if trying to help me?
As my thoughts spiraled into confusion, a sudden idea struck like lightning:
“...Wait a second. Can’t I just ask directly?”
After all the divine faith it’s absorbed?
Considering how it practically annihilated Mammon… this thing inside me isn’t just strong—it has intelligence.
Definitely.
“Hey, um… excuse me, could you maybe—”
If only I hadn’t heard that knock.
If only the door hadn’t burst open.
If only three women hadn’t stormed into the room, looking furious.
“Saint-nim!!”
“You nearly gave us a heart attack!!”
“Do you have any idea how worried we were?!”
“You’re not getting a wink of sleep tonight. You know that, right?”
If they had at least said hello first—just once—before charging in…
Then maybe, just maybe, I could’ve had that long-awaited chat with the Demon King inside me.
But alas.
“W-Wait! At least let me shower fi—”
My plea was drowned in a carpet-bombing of kisses.
And then, well…
Let’s just say, if it weren’t for magical body enhancements, I might have actually died.
No exaggeration.
That night, I was once again reminded of one universal truth:
Women’s libidos are terrifying.
They call it pillow talk.
That intimate, lingering conversation you have after sex—when you’re tangled in sheets, too exhausted to move.
When bodies and minds are both melted into mush, it’s no wonder that even the deepest truths start slipping out.
“...You’re leaving again, aren’t you?”
Erfa asked, gently playing with my earlobe.
I nodded.
“I have to go.”
Once more, I’d leave without explanation.
Without a reason I could give.
“...Sorry.”
The three women laughed softly at my apology.
“This relationship started because we insisted on it, remember?”
“We won’t resent you or beg you to stay. Do what you feel is right, Saint-nim.”
“Though, if I’m being honest… it always feels like, no matter how far you go, you’ll eventually come back to us.”
At those words, my hand clenched into a fist.
No.
This time, I won’t come back.
I mean it.
I’m going to find some godforsaken corner of the world—completely uninhabited—and vanish.
“Live well without me, alright? I’m sorry I keep running off like this… so irresponsibly.”
“Then at least live well while you’re still here.”
“Don’t say stuff like that…”
To be honest, I wanted to propose.
I really did love these women.
I wanted to make it official—lock in our relationship for real.
But… given my situation, that just wasn’t possible.
I could already feel my heart wavering, so I shoved those thoughts aside.
Instead, I changed the subject.
“How’s Scrap Yard?”
“Karma Company is undergoing major reconstruction.”
“They’re tearing down the old blast furnaces and investing heavily in modern replacements. Better, more efficient tech.”
“All the other facilities are intact, so the rebuild won’t take long.”
Apparently, Scrap Yard was on its way to becoming larger than ever.
They planned to rebuild the old furnaces and install three more.
Arcane Furnaces for refining magical metals—based on Erfa’s tri-chromatic research—would enable the production of purer and more powerful metals.
Because workers were well-fed, well-paid, and well-rested, work hours had gone down, but construction speed had increased.
“What about the Department Operarium?”
“The Labor Department is busier than ever.”
Investigators from Operarium were dispatched across the empire.
Now working in tandem with the Pantheon, they moved with one central truth:
Raise the quality of life for workers, and you eliminate the rise of demon cults.
With such an irrefutable cause, they conducted sweeping investigations on companies violating labor rights.
It was expected that working conditions across the empire would soon improve drastically.
“A lot of Scrap Yard workers have become followers of Lilia.”
“The White Order has grown too. The Ketralthus’ efforts must have left a strong impression.”
“The Pantheon hasn’t had this much influence in over 300 years. It’s all thanks to you, Saint-nim.”
But… why?
The more good news I heard—
The more terrified I became.
Because where did all that divine faith end up going?
That question alone was enough to send chills down my spine.
“Amael…”
“Don’t hold back, Iomene. Come here. Erfa, you too.”
The conversation didn’t last long.
Maybe it was the exhaustion from how… intense things had been.
Or maybe it was simply the comfort of having me close.
Not long after, the women were all asleep in my arms.
Once I made sure they were sound asleep, I carefully activated Time Freeze.
A familiar yet unsettling space, where the entire world came to a halt.
I released time only around where I sat, then crossed my legs and closed my eyes in quiet meditation.
The Demon King’s power—the one said to dwell in my soul.
Tonight, I intended to speak to it directly.
“You’re listening, aren’t you?”
No response.
It was awkward, but I pressed on, certain it could hear me.
“The one inside me… Asmodeus. I know you’re there.”
Still no answer.
“If you’re listening, say something.”
Silence.
I turned my gaze briefly to the sleeping women by my side.
My hands curled into fists.
“Answer me!! I know you’re in there!! Why me?! Of all people—why did you crawl into my body and start all this crap?!”
I don’t want to be apart from those women.
Truly.
I just wanted to quietly live the life of a saint—nothing more.
How did everything spiral out of control like this?
When you get down to it, it all started because you barged into my soul without permission.
“I know you’re conscious. Who else saved me from Mammon? It was you, right? What’s your goal?! Why are you doing this to me? What the hell do you want from me?!”
Still no reply.
“Why me…? Why does it have to be me…?”
Even as I muttered, miserable and low, not even a mocking laugh came back.
Nothing.
I released Time Freeze.
Looking up, I saw the serene face of Lady Lilia, smiling down at me from the statue on the wall.
They said the statue had been crafted based on descriptions given by the very first High Priest who once met her in person.
A goddess of mercy, they called her.
But to me… she was someone I resented more than anyone else.
“To be honest… I don’t want to be a martyr.”
As expected, no reply.
Neither Asmodeus inside me, nor Lady Lilia, who once screamed she’d cast me into hell, ever gave me a straight answer.
Not the gods of the Pantheon, not the demons of hell, and certainly not the evil gods.
Tonight, I found myself hating all the divine beings in existence.
Meanwhile, Asmodeus quietly watched Amael, who sat in the dark, silently sobbing.
Pity flickered across her face.
She wanted to respond to his desperate plea—just as he had asked.
But she couldn’t.
She turned her head toward the one preventing her.
[Why are you stopping me?]
Wrapped around Asmodeus’s left, twisted black wing was a chain—cold, unyielding steel.
And at the other end of that chain…
A massive set of horns.
Fiery crimson skin.
Eyes like a goat’s.
A forked tongue.
And a pair of twisted black wings that looked identical to Asmodeus’s own.
Lucifer.
Asmodeus’s question made Lucifer chuckle darkly.
But his smile wasn’t one of joy.
It was rage.
A cold, seething fury burned behind that grin.
[If you tell him the truth, he’ll run straight back to the Pantheon, won’t he? We can’t have that.]
Lucifer looked down at the tearful Amael, his smile widening.
[That foolishly kind-hearted idiot is better off believing the Pantheon will throw him into hell. His resentment is useful to us. So keep your mouth shut, Asmodeus.]
[So this is all you can do now? The great Lucifer, reduced to gagging me with chains?
You’ve really fallen far.]
Asmodeus whispered with a soft, sardonic smile.
Suddenly, Lucifer’s body grew larger.
The infernal flames of hell began to rise from his skin.
[You do remember that even if you combine the strength of all six remaining seats of Pandemonium, you still couldn’t defeat me, right? I’m not Mammon. Don’t get cocky just because you absorbed a bit of divine faith.]
[There you are—that pride. The Lucifer I remember.]
The chain around Asmodeus’s wing rattled violently.
[It won’t be long now, Lucifer. You can’t hold me back forever.]
At those words, Lucifer extinguished his flames and shrank back to normal.
[I’ll admit it. That saint’s little rampage helped you recover your powers faster than ever before.
And yes, time is on your side. One day, you may even become strong enough to defeat me.]
His eyes shifted from Asmodeus to Amael.
[But what if he falls before then? What if he chooses Pandemonium instead?]
[Then I become a Demon King again. But do you really think that’ll be easy?]
Lucifer smirked.
[I know humans better than anyone. No matter how righteous he is—he won’t pass my test. I’ll corrupt him… and put you right back on one of the Seven Thrones.]
With that, Lucifer gripped the chain tightly and vanished from Asmodeus’s domain.
As he returned to the skies above the mortal world, divine energy poured from the heavens in a relentless barrage.
He winced.
[Damn those Pantheon bastards.]
Because of Asmodeus, the severed link between the heavens and the mortal world—something Lucifer had spent 300 years weakening—was suddenly restored stronger than ever.
And now, the gods were frantically flooding the world with revelations, visions, and chosen saints.
Which meant Lucifer had to drop everything else just to keep them from interfering again.
His centuries of effort… wasted.
And yet, Lucifer didn’t seem too upset.
[Doesn’t matter. I’ll corrupt your precious Amael, and make up for it all.]
One corrupted human would be worth more than all the damage he’d suffered.
Smirking at the gods, Lucifer descended back into hell.
His mocking laughter echoed across the heavens.
In response, the gods of the Pantheon grew more desperate, sending down even more revelations.
[Amael! … Asmodeus… No!!]
[The flame of life… Lilia!!…]
[She is… inside you… Lilia!!…]
Revelations poured from the divine realm, urgent and pleading.
But every single one—
Was intercepted by Lucifer’s intricate interference.
Not a single message reached Amael.
All that divine truth vanished—trapped between realms—leaving only empty echoes in the spiritual void.
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