Chapter 17
Translator - Zofu
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"I'm feeling peckish."
Feeling hungry, Si-woo ended his stroll and turned back toward the hotel.
He hadn't brought a watch, but his slowly growing hunger suggested it was almost evening. There was nothing more worth seeing, so he had no regrets about ending his walk. Aside from the story about a hero candidate who was supposed to be disciplined running away, nothing particularly eventful had happened, which left him feeling a bit disappointed. He would meet the other hero candidates and everyone else soon enough, but he was still curious.
And unexpectedly, the small incident he had been hoping for unfolded right in front of the hotel.
"Hero Candidate Han Si-woo. That's you, isn't it?"
"......."
A single woman stood before the hotel.
A rich, deep pink hairstyle. Sparkling pink eyes that looked as if her hair color had been poured directly into them. When his gaze reached her, she subtly licked her thick pink lips. A seductive woman armed with every shade of pink.
She had been famous even in the first cycle. News about her reached him at least once a year, to say nothing of her name. Of course, Si-woo had never once spoken to her.
"But she feels so different?"
Tension settled on Si-woo's face.
It wasn't that he'd never heard of her or seen her from a distance—he just had never spoken to her. But this wasn't the impression he had gotten.
"Candidate Si-woo?"
"Ah, my apologies. I was a bit flustered. Yes, I am Han Si-woo."
"I knew it!"
The woman clapped her palms together cheerfully and nodded.
"How fortunate. I thought I'd only see you at the induction ceremony, but here we are meeting like this."
"Were you waiting for me?"
"You could say that. I was also taking the opportunity to size up this year's rookies."
This year's hero candidates were all scheduled to stay at the hotel until induction. So if one waited in front of the building, they could see everyone's faces. It was just that the Training Center rarely gave permission for such a thing.
There weren't many people in a position to do so. The Training Center's ideology itself rejected excessive competition and power struggles between nations for the sake of world peace. Yet even the Training Center had those it could not treat lightly.
Royalty and imperial families of various nations. High-ranking nobles. Upper-tier heroes. And various others.
The pink woman fell into the latter category.
"Let me introduce myself. I am the Third Saint of the Jushin Church, the Saint of Blessings, Elaine."
"A Saint...."
He already knew, but Si-woo deliberately muttered the most important part, feigning surprise.
Elaine, however, lit up with interest.
"You know of me."
"...Excuse me?"
"I'm curious how you knew. Did Palania give you a warning? A list of people to be careful around? I must have been near the top then, right?"
"......."
Si-woo felt cold sweat running down his back. How on earth did she know he knew of her? It definitely wasn't mind-reading—if it were, his first cycle would have been exposed already.
Just as important was what Elaine was saying now. To voluntarily label herself a dangerous person. This was completely different from the Saint of Blessings Si-woo knew—famous for being benevolent, wise, and ignorant about sex.
'Is this the influence of the Goddess's changed personality...? Come to think of it, if the Goddess who is the Lord is like that, there's no way the Jushin Church would be normal.'
"Hmm. You seem to be thinking something strange."
"Not at all. Rather... Unfortunately, I don't know you, Saint. And Palania never showed me such a list either."
"Is that so? That's odd. Your words seem genuine, but your expression is just... Ah."
Elaine looked utterly shocked. As realization dawned on her face, Si-woo felt his own tension surge.
"Could it be that you're nervous because my entire body is pink?"
"No, what are you..."
"It happens sometimes. People find pink hair and eyes strange. In some worlds, pink is considered the color of prostitutes, so they dislike it."
"......."
"But here, pink hair is a symbol of divine power, and pink eyes signify a Saint. The deeper the pink of one's hair, the stronger the divine power they possess."
Having said that, Elaine circled halfway around Si-woo to stand behind him.
A sweet fragrance wafted from her spinning pink hair and robes. It was a somehow captivating scent that drew people in. It seemed to emanate from the person herself rather than from perfume.
"What do you think? Are you interested in me?"
"...Is this a pre-contact?"
"Exactly. A privilege that comes with being a Saint, you could say. I'm of the belief that I should use every advantage available to me."
The Saint of Blessings, Elaine, joining his party. It would be most welcome.
The buffs based on her powerful divine power would be a tremendous help. Especially when fighting demons, their effectiveness would shine, so in normal circumstances, one should be on their knees begging for her to join.
But Elaine's meaningful attitude kept shaking his resolve. Her inexplicably friendly and proactive demeanor constantly made him question her intentions. Was she trying to recruit him for the Holy Empire, or was there something else at play?
"...Aha."
Elaine giggled, belatedly realizing Si-woo's tension came from suspicion and wariness.
"Candidate Si-woo... you're more of a coward than I thought?"
"...What? Ah, no. What are you suddenly talking about?"
Si-woo had fallen for the Saint's provocation and slipped into informal speech.
He corrected himself belatedly, but the fact remained that he had spoken informally to a Saint. Elaine, however, just smiled as if she didn't mind at all.
"I had quite high expectations. I heard you were an incredible man and wondered what you were like, but to think you'd be intimidated by a woman you just met."
"......."
"Still, I am curious about that part."
Moving slowly, Elaine had somehow shifted from behind him to his side.
With a natural gesture, she placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered in Si-woo's ear.
"The Jushin Church has various doctrines."
"Doctrines, you say?"
"Yes. Among them is a doctrine that states one must not wear underwear that hasn't received a specific blessing from the Church."
"What kind of doctrine is...."
Si-woo was about to ask what kind of nonsense that was, but he swallowed his words and kept his mouth shut.
The Jushin Church worshipped the Creator God and Lord of the world. The four Saints who served the Goddess held immense authority across the continent. Not even a nation's king could treat them carelessly, and he had already misspoken once—he couldn't afford to repeat that mistake.
"Strange, isn't it? But that specific blessing isn't easily granted."
"W-wait. Saint...?"
"That's why I'm not wearing any underwear right now?"
"......."
Hearing those words, it was impossible not to let his eyes wander. It was pure male instinct.
Unconsciously, his gaze swept over Elaine's clothes.
Beneath her pink robes were a simple top and a modest skirt. The top was short-sleeved, and the skirt only came to her knees. Thanks to that, the Saint's slender arms and legs were blatantly exposed, but his eyes wouldn't be drawn to mere skin.
"Your eyes are lecherous."
That lecherous look had quickly scanned up and down, and Si-woo was certain.
'She really isn't wearing anything on top.'
There was a slight protrusion near her chest. It wasn't noticeable unless you looked closely, but standing right next to her, there was no way he could be mistaken. He couldn't confirm the bottom half, but judging from the situation, it didn't seem like a lie either.
"Wonderful. That's just wonderful. The men in this world turn green at the gills when I tell them this."
"What a truly strange world."
"Hehe, right? We think so too."
Still holding Si-woo's shoulder, Elaine spun around, completing the remaining half-circle to stand before him. But her posture was now completely different from before—blatantly suggestive.
With both arms on his shoulders and her stomach pressed flush against him as if they were about to meet. It was the pose of a woman seducing a man, obvious to anyone who saw it.
"Saint? Could you please step back for a moment..."
"Ah... this is truly incredible."
"......."
"The rumors weren't false. If anything, they fell short. To think you were hiding such an incredible thing."
The Saint had been fully erect since hearing she wore no underwear, and now she marveled at Si-woo's member prodding insistently against her stomach.
Elaine wasn't the least bit flustered, as if she had aimed for this from the start. In fact, she even rubbed her stomach against Si-woo's erection. As if smelling a woman through at least three layers of fabric—perhaps more—his manhood grew even larger, thrashing about as if trying to pierce through his clothes.
"Hah...♡ It's enormous. Haah, I'm getting excited. Wondering what kind of hero you'll become, Candidate Si-hoo..."
"Please, could you step away?"
Si-woo's voice trembled, unable to bring himself to push her away directly.
There was only one reason he couldn't touch Elaine. He felt that if he grabbed her body now, he would throw himself on her right then and there. He wanted to leave a large palm print on the ass of this seductive pink Saint who was provoking him so lewdly.
'Ah, damn it. I'm so fucking turned on....'
"Candidate Si-woo. They say holding it in is bad for your health...♡"
Nevertheless, the Saint didn't move away from him.
Should he keep holding back when she was coming on this strong? Si-woo's deliberation was brief.
Smack!
"Hah...! Ah, Si, Si-woo...?"
Elaine's body trembled at the sharp sting of a hand striking her ass.
A Saint who, even after being smacked on the buttocks, called out to the owner of that palm in a sweet voice. Through her reddened ear, Si-woo's growling voice, filled with lust and irritation, reached her.
"You lewd bitch of a Saint."
"Ah, y-yes...."
"I'll pop your cherry later, so quit the fucking provocation? The only reason I'm not touching you right now is because there might be complications. I doubt a Saint like you wants to lose her virginity on the street before even getting inducted, right?"
"......."
The trembling Saint slowly moved away from Si-woo.
Only then did Si-woo come to his senses and feel a slight pang of regret, but it was already done. Moreover, it wasn't just words spoken on impulse. They were based on conclusions drawn from some degree of reasoning.
The Jushin Church was a religion that forbade its clergy from wearing underwear that didn't contain a specific blessing. On top of that, there were likely many other strange doctrines. This was a world where the Goddess herself kidnapped other gods to rape them, packaging it as an invitation.
Based on Elaine's attitude, she was one of two things. Either a naive virgin pretending to be a bitch, or a lewd Saint looking for a man to satisfy her. Either way, Si-woo didn't think it would be a problem for him.
"Well then, Saint. I'll be going."
Without waiting for Elaine's response, Si-woo passed by her and entered the hotel.
And Elaine, left alone, quietly whispered so no one could hear.
"...Found him, the male who will become my master♥"
Meanwhile, Si-woo, who had entered the hotel, quickly climbed the stairs back to his room.
He gave perfunctory responses to the greetings from Training Center staff and others he passed on his way up. There was a teleportation magic circle that could take him to the upper floors, but he deliberately didn't use it. There were too many people in line, and he simply couldn't wait.
Si-woo roughly closed the door and entered.
"Ah, Si-woo. You're back."
Hildear, who had finished unpacking and was waiting anxiously for him, welcomed him with a bright face.
"Hilde."
"Yes, Si-woo!"
Rather than greeting her, Si-woo spoke first.
"Suck."
"...Yes, Si-woo...♥"
The female knight with teal-blue hair reached for the hero's pants as he sat in a chair, and the sound of fabric rustling was heard.
It was thirty minutes later when the two emerged from the room for dinner.
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