Chapter 146: Meanwhile, the Hero's Party...[R-18]
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 146: Meanwhile, the Hero's Party...[R-18]
Claire is a saint belonging to the Church.
However, an ordinary ‘saint’ doesn't hold a very high position within the Church.
That’s because, to be precise, they aren't so much saints as they are ‘Great Saint candidates.’
There are plenty of other saints besides Claire.
I should have just picked the Great Saint back then. But I couldn't bring myself to do it, afraid it would complicate the story even more.
To be honest, my relationship with the Church is not particularly close—at least, not ‘on the surface.’
The Magic Tower, of course, is my home ground, and they’re practically begging me to become the next Magic Tower Master.
The Royal Family is even more desperate to win me over.
But the Church... well, it’s not a place I have any deep connections with.
That’s not to say we’re on bad terms, either.
The amount of money I’ve sprinkled around... no, donated to the Church is quite substantial.
You make connections first and see what happens later.
The Magic Tower and the Church are bound to clash, if only because of their ideologies.
But no matter where you go, money transcends even religion.
With the money I worked hard to earn, I showed the Church a certain amount of ‘goodwill.’
Thanks to that, the Church is quite favorable toward me, and me alone.
Separately, the fact that I, unlike other magicians, have studied theology also seems to have been received quite positively by them.
Frankly, it’s not a bad deal for them either.
Having a connection to the magician known as the future Magic Tower Master could be useful someday.
Perhaps the Church is even more eager for me to become the Magic Tower Master than the Magic Tower itself.
It’s not like I particularly dislike the Church, anyway.
The snarling between the Church and the Magic Tower is more a matter of tradition than any practical reason.
The closest analogy might be the rivalry between Oxford and Cambridge.
Though it’s more serious for them, since their livelihoods are on the line.
Still, I’m not originally from this world, and my master never belonged to any particular faction.
As a former player of the game, I was naturally interested in the world’s lore and its goddesses.
There was simply no reason for me to be hostile toward the Church.
Most importantly, the Saint here is drop-dead gorgeous.
Emilia, the current Great Saint of the Church.
She was originally one of the main heroines of this adult game.
And isn't it common sense that a saint would have a ridiculously hot body?
As expected, she boasted overwhelming beauty and a stunning figure.
So much so that every time we meet, my body anticipates it before my mind does.
“It’s been a while, Hyun-woo.”
“It is an honor to see you again, Saint.”
With a faint smile, the blonde Saint greeted me.
Every time I see her, she has a charm that captivates one’s gaze.
Her beautiful face and voice are part of it, of course.
But the truly incredible part has to be those ridiculously lewd breasts and hips.
No matter how many times I see it, her body is so desirable.
Those divinity pouches overflowing with benevolence, and that full ass, its contours clearly visible through the thin, white fabric.
Seriously, no matter how I look at it, her body is so damn hot it makes me gasp in awe.
Even though her entire body is tightly wrapped in cloth, that unique sense of weightiness a woman possesses is impossible to hide.
With an ass like that, wouldn't she be better at seducing men than most succubi?
If she just swayed it a little from behind, it would probably make even an atheist find faith.
To think I’m having these thoughts while looking at the Great Saint. If the Goddess knew, I’d have no complaints if she struck me down with lightning.
She was the real deal, incomparable to a pseudo-saint like Claire.
The fact that she was a virgin who knew nothing of men somehow made her feel even more obscene.
Honestly, I wanted to grab that plump ass and make her let out lewd moans in that lovely voice of hers.
Well, even I can’t go that far.
Though still young, she was the head of an entire organization.
And a saint who valued purity above all else.
To assault her would mean losing all my support and being hunted on a national level.
The Royal Family, and even the Magic Tower, would surely turn their backs on me.
If I were to ‘conquer’ her, it would require thorough preparation.
For me, who has to conquer the Armeina family first, she's a difficult woman to touch.
It’s a shame, but I’ll have to be satisfied with the good fortune of just admiring that hot body.
“...Hyun-woo, you always stare so intently whenever you see me.”
“It’s because you are so beautiful, Saint. I can’t help myself.”
“Hehe, there you go again. I don’t mind, but if you say things like that to other women with that face of yours, you might give them the wrong impression, you know?”
We exchanged compliments and continued the conversation amicably.
I might have come to see her as easily as grabbing a piece of cake, but... the Saint is not someone you can meet so readily.
Even for me, it took a great deal of investment and effort to arrange a private meeting like this.
The fact that we could meet so quickly now was due to the special circumstances.
“Honestly, I was surprised. Aren’t you a celebrity the entire country is looking for right now?”
“I needed some rest and stability for a while. Ah, and thank you for keeping today’s meeting a secret.”
“As a Saint, I can’t refuse such a request.”
After briefly catching up on world affairs, I got to the main reason for my visit.
“I’m sorry about what happened with the Hero. I never imagined something like that would occur while I was away.”
“No, I imagine it must have been difficult for you, Hyun-woo. I heard you were friends with him for a long time.”
“In the past... we were. But as you know, I was cast out first. I no longer have the same feelings I once did.”
I drew a clear line regarding Leon.
Emilia was speaking to me not as a merciful saint, but as the representative of the Church.
In that case, it would be better to speak frankly.
Right now, the Church would be anything but favorable toward Leon.
“Ah... that’s unexpected. I thought you, Hyun-woo, were a man with a broad perspective, a magician who would even offer prayers to the Goddess. But for even you to feel that way about the current Hero......”
“It seems I am merely a man, not a merciful goddess. I can’t bring myself to feel anything good for the traitor who abandoned me first.”
I let out a bitter smirk.
I had been acting the entire time I’d been dealing with her.
But those words, at least, were sincere.
“Are you perhaps disappointed in me?”
“......Of course not. You are, by all accounts, the victim. We are aware of that.”
Right, that was the general public perception.
That the incompetent and foolish Hero, out of jealousy, had kicked out his great magician and friend.
After the news spread that Leon had abandoned his comrades and fled, public perception of him was at rock bottom, branding him a traitor.
...The funny thing is, most of it is true.
Of course, what happened to the exiled magician afterward...
Almost no one knew about that.
The Saint let out a deep sigh and said, “I just find this whole situation regrettable. With the Hero gone, the citizens will be thrown into chaos.”
“Yes, and with the Hero gone, the demons will only grow more rampant. Isn’t this precisely the time when everyone should work together to resolve the confusion?”
“If only it were that simple, I would ask for nothing more. But given our position......”
“I came here to solve that very problem.”
I came to the Church today to get something.
A transaction of sorts. And I happened to have a strong hand to play.
So I decided to first offer what the other side wanted.
“As you know, I have a fair amount of influence with both the Royal Family and the Magic Tower. If I put in a good word... I believe I can clear up the misunderstandings the Church is facing because of the Hero.”
In truth, they weren't misunderstandings, and the solution was really just about pinning all the blame on the already-ruined Hero's party.
But explaining all that to the merciful Saint wouldn't be very sexy.
“That is what we were hoping for. But... you would do that for us yourself, Hyun-woo?”
“Yes, because I’m the only one who can.”
“Hmm... but this won’t be for free, will it?”
“My, it saddens me a little that you would interpret my goodwill that way.”
“Well, you’ve always been meticulous with your calculations, Hyun-woo. I’m nagged every day to learn a thing or two from you.”
“That doesn’t sound like a compliment. The virtues you possess, Saint, are of a kind I could never obtain.”
Emilia gave me a beautiful smile at my words.
“Of course, there is something I want. But I believe it’s something the Church will welcome as well.”
“What could the greatest genius magician of our time possibly want from the humble Church?”
“You’ve been having a headache over how to deal with Claire recently, haven’t you?”
At my words, Emilia’s expression clouded over noticeably.
“To be frank... yes, we have. There have been many discussions among us.”
To the Church, Claire was already being treated as a great sinner.
She had dared to defile the name of a saint by committing acts befitting a prostitute.
On top of that, she had dragged the Hero to the Church's side, politically weakening their position.
From the Church’s perspective, they had needlessly earned the Royal Family’s ire and gained nothing in return.
Usually, all is forgiven if the outcome is good, but this time, the outcome was the worst possible.
Now, the shield that was the Hero was no longer of any use.
Claire’s excommunication was already all but confirmed.
But that wasn’t enough.
A significant punishment was necessary, if only as a gesture to mend relations with the Royal Family.
Otherwise, there will be a lot of talk if a similar incident happens again.
Honestly, they probably wanted to hang that troublemaker upside down and burn her at the stake.
At best, a public execution?
However, the Church couldn't just do that.
They were, at least on the surface, agents of the Goddess’s grace.
Their doctrine emphasizes mercy and forgiveness. No matter what, killing a former saint with their own hands would look bad.
If they were too lenient, mending their relationship with the Royal Family would be out of the question.
But if they punished her too harshly, they’d have to worry about public opinion.
From the Church’s perspective, Claire’s very existence was now a liability.
“I am her former comrade. If it’s all right, I would like to secure her custody.”
“Secure her... and what do you intend to do?”
“From that point on, it falls into the domain of an adventurer and a magician. It’s not something I can describe to you directly, Saint.”
“Umm......”
“However, I promise I will handle it in a way that won’t cause any complaints from the Royal Family.”
In fact, the Royal Family would love it.
Because I’d be filming her suffering things they couldn't even imagine and sending it to them in real-time.
They would never be able to say the punishment was insufficient.
“The Church was just unlucky to be caught in the middle, wasn’t it? Isn’t this a good proposal? I’m offering to eliminate both the source of the problem and the solution all at once.”
“That... is certainly true, but......”
Emilia trailed off, subtly glancing at me, trying to read my expression.
She was different from the naive Armeina women.
The position of a saint was high, and as such, her ears were everywhere.
This was a world rife with dirty power struggles.
She could probably guess, to some extent, what Claire’s future would be like.
Well, even so, with her saintly imagination, she probably can't even conceive of one-tenth of what I'm going to do.
After a moment of silence, Emilia finally let out a deep sigh.
“This is not a decision I can make alone. May I consult with the others before giving you an answer?”
“Of course. I will wait as long as you need.”
Emilia rose from her seat.
She said she needed to consult others... but honestly, I already knew the outcome.
Sure, the merciful Saint might find it hard to abandon Claire herself.
But would the others feel the same?
The fury of the Church, whose faith, not to mention their own reputation, had been insulted, was by no means small.
Because Emilia was kind, she couldn't simply ignore everyone else's opinions.
Most importantly, failing to act would not set a proper example.
In the end, their decision would be to cast Claire aside.
In return, all I had to do was say a few words to the Royal Family and the Magic Tower.
Besides, this chaos wasn't what I wanted either.
The current state of the war was a slight advantage for the Demon King.
And in a situation like that, I couldn't comfortably go around fucking women, could I?
Unity for all. I’m sure the real Hero will take care of that.
Currently, Emilia, despite being the Great Saint, was attending the Academy to further her studies.
The real Hero she would meet there was a big shot, incomparable to the likes of Leon.
With that Hero’s charisma, it would be possible to unite everyone even in a situation like this.
It would all be resolved even if I did nothing... so there was no need for me to step in and do the work.
You all can go ahead and save the world. I'll be busy enjoying my harem life with my women.
This was a transaction to complete that goal.
A short while later, watching Emilia return with a bitter expression on her face, I was certain that I had gotten what I wanted.