This Wasn’t an Erotic Game?

Chapter 30
I’ll Just Be a Saint
『 Translator – Divinity 』

Late at night…

I was tossing and turning in my private room within the Magic Tower Temple.

It was a place that High Priest Yodel had fussily prepared for me, saying that they could finally create a space for the Saint.

The bed was large, luxurious, and soft, but I couldn’t sleep properly.

I was scared.

I didn’t know when the Goddess would strike me down with lightning.

What should I do?

All sorts of thoughts ran through my head.

Should I give a strict order not to look for me and then disappear?

High Priest Yodel is a yes-man. Wouldn’t he listen to my command?

No.

No matter how much I thought about it, it was impossible.

If I disappeared, the poor people would probably throw a tantrum like children, begging for me to be found.

And the members of the Lilia Church would also say they needed me.

Even though Yodel is a yes-man, I could clearly picture him getting swept up in the atmosphere, unable to ignore the pouring requests of the entire Lilia Church and all the poor people, and eventually setting out to find me.

I’m doomed either way.

What should I do?

How can I survive?

Does it make sense for someone without faith to have reached this position?

The thriving Karma Company…

And this magnificent Magic Tower Temple…

Everything I touch turns to gold.

At this rate, I’ll really end up living as the Goddess’s Saint, unable to deny it.

Living in fear of divine punishment, never knowing when it might strike.

Is that really how I’m going to live?

I couldn’t sleep.

Tonight, it was especially difficult.

Would a walk help?

I left my room.

I cautiously went out for a walk in the early morning, intending to take a look around the slums, and the changes in the slums caught my eye.

The muddy roads, once filled with filth and garbage, had been completely repaved with neat bricks.

There were no more people sleeping on the streets.

I heard that with the increase in job opportunities, everyone could now afford to stay in an inn or two.

They were excited to sell their homes, receive compensation, and move into the new houses that would be built on that land.

The air was no longer heavy with a rotten stench.

A fresh, crisp morning air tickled my nose.

As I stood there in a daze, looking around, a question suddenly popped into my mind.

I’ve been pretending to be a saint for over half a year now, even though I have no faith, and the reason why the Goddess hasn’t struck me down with divine punishment yet… is it because I’m doing such a good job?

Logically speaking, I dug under an abandoned factory and an elixir spring that no one knew about gushed out, and I purified the slums. I made people happy.

And because of that, the absolute majority of the people in the slums have become followers of Lilia.

At this point, I’m starting to seriously wonder if the Goddess is just letting it slide even though she knows everything.

Even though I’m a guy with no faith or anything, I’m doing such a good job that maybe she’s willing to overlook it?

No.

Seriously.

Isn’t this the right way to think about it??

Why didn’t I think of this before?

Damn my stupid head.

I’ve been needlessly scared all this time?

All my struggles to escape the Church felt like foolish acts at that moment.

“Can’t you sleep?”

As I was chuckling in disbelief, a familiar voice came from behind me.

Erpa was approaching me, waving her trademark four arms.

It’s almost 3 a.m., why are you still awake???

“I was going for a walk, but… the streets have changed so much that I was just looking around.”

At my words, Erpa smiled and came closer.

“It’s all thanks to you, Saint. If it weren’t for you, this place would still be a dirty and ugly slum.”

“I haven’t done anything. Honestly, I’m just wondering how things got this big…”

I truly didn’t understand.

An insignificant person like me…

Using erotic game abilities, those vulgar skills, to rise this high, does that really make sense?

At my words, the witch cautiously approached me.

I could smell a fragrance.

Perhaps it was perfume.

Or maybe that’s just how she naturally smelled.

A pleasant, refreshing scent stimulated my nose.

“May I hold your hand?”

I nodded.

The witch carefully took my hand.

And she quietly kissed the back of my hand.

“You have the ability to move people’s hearts. It’s not just because you healed incurable diseases and cared for the poor that people call you a saint.”

She says I move people’s hearts.

Ha.

If they knew the real me, they’d all scoff.

Moving people’s hearts, my ass.

I know better than anyone how selfish and…

…foolish I am.

“I’m not that great of a person.”

“About that… I was trying to destroy the world.”

I flinched.

I subtly observed her.

Honestly, she was still a nuclear bomb.

Even though she had changed her mind, the power to destroy the world still resided within her.

It’s just that the fuse that was burning down to the nuclear bomb in real-time had been extinguished.

The elements that could trigger an explosion were still within her.

I examined her face with anxiety, but Erpa’s expression was incredibly peaceful.

“I hated everyone. I hated the world that didn’t acknowledge me, I hated my colleagues who mocked me, and more than anything… I hated myself. Why was I born with such a repulsive appearance? When people threw filth at me, I was just going to burn with the entire Empire. With my research and the magic within me, it was entirely possible.”

I know.

You would have recreated the scene I saw in my dream.

“When you, Saint, kissed my filthy, hideous left face, everything changed. The resentment within me, the hatred, it all just vanished. With someone like you loving me, how could I hate myself? Perhaps it was the first time in my life that I truly loved myself.”

Erpa smiled.

Her smile was so refreshing.

“It’s funny, isn’t it? After that, everything went my way. The position of the next Tower Master, the recognition of my colleagues, and the downfall of the witch who hated and loathed me. It all just happened so naturally, as if it were meant to be. The things I couldn’t have even when I yearned and wished for them so desperately came into my hands so easily.”

“I’m glad, Erpa.”

“I probably could have fixed my face myself. The Three Primary Colors Research was for that, you know. To wield more powerful magic and fix my face. If I had been given a month or two more, I probably would have succeeded in healing myself. But even if I had… I don’t think I would have become who I am today.”

Erpa placed her hand on her chest.

“You changed my heart. That’s something even magic couldn’t do, Saint. It was possible only because it was you. You say you’re not a great person, but that’s not true. You are a great person.”

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

As we talked, gradually…

The fear and anxiety I felt towards her seemed to fade and disappear.

Thinking about it, it was rather ridiculous to worry that a woman who was blushing so much while looking at me would suddenly snap and go berserk again.

Just a moment ago, I felt like an idiot for living in fear of a divine punishment that might never come, but now I felt like an idiot for being afraid that this woman who liked me so much would explode again.

I really am…

Such an idiot.

“I’m not a great person at all. I know myself very well. But still…”

I smiled at Erpa.

“I’m glad that so many people can be happy because of me.”

It wasn’t a lie.

The streets of the slums had become clean.

The children who used to sell matches in the back alleys with their faces disfigured by burns were now wearing nice clothes and attending school.

The nuclear bomb witch was officially recognized as the next Tower Master and was standing happily beside me.

Jonathan Karma’s family was also smiling happily, and everyone, including High Priest Yodel, was gaining vitality in their lives because of me.

Of course, all of this stemmed from misunderstandings and lies.

But what did it matter if it was a lie?

Isn’t it more important that I made them happy?

No.

Seriously.

Isn’t the Goddess just turning a blind eye to all this?

At this point?

Then there’s no need for me to worry about divine punishment and run away.

I might not have faith, but I can just believe in the Goddess now.

Then I won’t have to worry or be anxious anymore.

If everyone calls me a saint, I can just change my mind and become one, right?

That’s what I thought.

“The night is cold. I should go back in…”

“Saint.”

Erpa held my hand and wouldn’t let go.

“Just one thing… I want to ask. Please be honest with me.”

“Yes, please speak. Anything I can answer, I will answer truthfully, without hiding anything.”

“When you saved me, you said I was beautiful.”

Yes.

I did.

It was a line I copied from Grandpa Miyazaki’s famous anime.

“In that meaning of ‘beautiful’… was there even a little, a tiny bit… of meaning that I was beautiful as a woman?”

The witch’s face was red.

I had always looked at her with anxiety and fear, but now that those emotions were gone, I could finally see her beautiful face, which was practically equipped with a charm spell.

I’m very familiar with sites like Pixiv, those tear-jerker websites, and Toptoon, but…

No matter how great internet illustrations are, they can’t compare to a real woman, I realize that anew today.

The scent.

The touch.

The appearance.

Everything was truly perfect.

“It was included. I’m embarrassed to admit, but even now, I’m flustered because you’re so close. I’ve never seen someone so beautiful up close.”

A face equipped with a charm spell!

Incredible!

My mouth uttered those lines without me realizing it.

But honestly, think about it.

The feeling of a woman’s skin against my hand.

The thick scent emanating from her.

And a beautiful woman is blushing at close range!

Can you endure this?

Can you really endure this?

There was only one time before Erpa that I was this close to a woman.

It was in college.

I confessed to a junior I liked, but she said, “You’re too kind for me,” and rejected me.

Later, while working part-time at a convenience store, I saw her coming out of a motel with a tall, handsome guy.

Ugh, fuck!

Why do such shitty memories have to…

Memories…

Uh…

Erpa’s upper two arms wrapped around the back of my head.

I saw her stand on tiptoe.

The face equipped with a charm spell instantly closed the distance.

And a soft, moist sensation touched my lips.

I could feel her lower hands, which were holding mine, trembling with nervousness and fear.

Even to a solitary loser like me, it was obvious that this was her first time.

It was an act closer to a peck than a kiss, clumsy and inexperienced.

She carefully pulled away from me.

“W-was that… unpleasant?”

If that’s unpleasant, you’re gay.

How could it be unpleasant?

“It’s my first… first kiss. I think I was too clumsy…”

I stared at her blankly.

I knew she had feelings for me.

But I didn’t expect her to be so straightforward.

“It was my first time too.”

Truly my first time, both in Korea and the Arcal Empire.

Erpa smiled at my words.

“I’m glad!”

She kissed me again.

As I received that kiss…

As I felt her refreshing scent tickle my nose, I thought…

Maybe it’s okay to just live as a saint?

At this point?

It seems like the Goddess is condoning it.

I’ll just be a saint, then.

I even have a woman who likes me.

Now it’s my turn to…

Enjoy a happy life in this other world.

I hesitated for a moment, then wrapped my arms around Erpa’s waist.

I carefully pulled her closer.

The scent that filled my nose was intoxicating.

Around 3 a.m….

On an empty street…

The two of us stood there, kissing for a long time.