Chapter 22
Translator - Zofu
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"How was it, Si-woo?"
"Is 'saint' in 'saintess' supposed to mean 'holy'... or 'horny'?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure either. Should I ask His Holiness the Pope or the other Saintess later?"
"...No, never mind."
Si-woo thought she was quite the smooth talker. He hadn't expected a comeback like that.
He'd asked it as a joke, but it was a serious question in its own way. He couldn't speak for other Saintess, but this one—Elaine—seemed perfectly capable of it. If she weren't, how could she act so nonchalant after doing something like this?
"Ah, you've got semen on you."
"Hm? ...Oh..."
Wondering what she meant, Si-woo looked back at Elaine's face. The pink-haired saint was licking the semen at the corner of her mouth.
At that obscene tongue movement, Si-woo instantly knew. She had definitely gotten it on her face on purpose. Even this was part of her plan.
"Saintess."
"Yes, Si-woo."
"Honestly, it's ridiculous and absurd... but it's perfect."
"Thank you ♡"
Saintess Elaine's plan had certainly hit its mark.
The head chef of a quasi-noble restaurant hadn't even been able to protest. The kitchen staff, waiters, and customers alike were all focused on Si-woo and Elaine. It seemed rumors had already spread—in the brief time since they'd arrived, the crowd looked one-and-a-half times larger than before.
In that spacious restaurant packed with people, conversation became the sole domain of Si-woo and Elaine. Everyone else was merely an audience outside the stage, swallowing their saliva or blushing as they watched.
"......."
Hildear's expression, caught somewhere between stage and audience, was not pleasant.
Si-woo was well aware of this fact, but there were too many eyes on them to mention it now. Besides, they wouldn't be staying much longer. They'd had their breakfast snack; it was time to end this morning meal.
"Hildear. Shall we go?"
Si-woo addressed her to highlight that he was mindful of Hildear.
Thanks to that, the knight brightened up, answered cheerfully, and rose from her seat.
"Oh, may I come along too?"
"However you like."
"Then I'm coming!"
Si-woo and Hildear took the lead, and Elaine followed behind them. A moment later, the saint's four monitors scurried after them in a pitter-patter.
Even after the three of them disappeared like a silent storm, the dining hall remained steeped in silence for some time. Eventually, the chef—first to regain his senses—set his kitchen staff back to work, and as the kitchen grew busy, the waiters began moving again.
Thus, time in the frozen restaurant began to flow once more.
"......."
"Third Princess. Shall we approach?"
At her subordinate's question, Helena Glayzer slowly turned her head to look at her.
Helena's eyes were indifferent, as if she had no interest. But the nickname "Iron-Blooded Princess" wasn't merely about personality or disposition. Knowing that the Third Princess's expressions were generally like this, the subordinate continued.
"It was beyond our intel. Thanks to the overwhelming presence of the three of them—the Third Saintess included—the candidates at Restaurant Two were completely overshadowed."
Almost no hero candidates skipped breakfast on the first day.
Expectations were high after satisfying meals at the lodgings, and even if a bit tired, they would come down to eat since maids were present. As such, it was the optimal time to observe hero candidates before enrollment.
Her subordinates were already scattered through other restaurants, observing the candidates. Glayzer had obtained information on candidates from various countries through formidable power and deployed personnel based on that.
Among them, Restaurant Two. Helena had come here because the credibility of the information was questionable—all because of Han Si-woo, a hero candidate from Palania Kingdom. The result was beyond imagination.
"What should we do?"
"According to the Special Intelligence Unit, the Queen of Palania Kingdom moved personally."
"Surely not..."
The subordinate in charge of observing and recruiting at Restaurant Two made an expression of disbelief.
Even if it was a minor nation, could the queen really have moved personally? Helena, the Third Princess, slowly shook her head at that reaction.
"I was skeptical too, but at this level, it seems worth it."
"......."
"And the Third Saintess of the Holy Empire. No matter how much of a 'half-abandoned Saintess' she is in Vishra, that doesn't change the fact that she's a Saintess. We can forge plenty of connections through her."
"Then how should we..."
The more Helena spoke, the more anxiety filled the subordinate's face.
The Glayzer Imperial Royalty harbored a strong obsession with the word "strongest." They often acted as if that alone was the empire's sole value and ideology. As such, they were also proactive in recruiting talented heroes or candidates from other nations.
If they failed to recruit Si-woo, it could cause trouble in the power struggle. If his talents were even half as reported, his value would exceed that of ten ordinary candidates.
Though not as extreme as Yobi (???), the imperial court had a strong doctrine of male supremacy. Helena, the Third Princess, had reached her current position despite countless checks, as a woman. The fact that she could face problems from failing to recruit just one hero candidate made her devoted subordinate unbearably furious.
"For now, we wait."
"What?! But, Your Highness..."
"Enough."
"Ah... I-I'm sorry."
Though her unique personality made her speak calmly and expressionlessly, she too often ground her teeth at this damnable reality. Yet giving up didn't suit her personality.
"The entrance examination is in two days, isn't it?"
Si-woo had been mistaken.
Normally, the test would be after the admission ceremony, but for male heroes, many results took time, so they conducted the examination the day before. And the results would determine the admission scores.
"If it's us, we can obtain the results in advance."
"Then...?"
"I'll contact the imperial court when I return to my room. I'll make an excessive demand they can't possibly accept. If the court refuses, we can shift the blame for failed recruitment onto them."
"But if the results don't meet expectations..."
Shifting blame. An excellent virtue for a politician.
If there was justifiable cause, one could minimize damage by covering one's back, even when failure was certain. Helena, who enjoyed employing various schemes—not just a stubborn, forceful strategy—had used this tactic many times.
The problem was if the demand was too excessive. Instead of shifting blame, she would be criticized as incompetent and take a hit to her political credibility.
"Don't you trust my eyes, my nose... and my womb?"
"...Excuse me?"
"It's ridiculous for a virgin like me to say this, but... it was my first time feeling such a tingling sensation in my womb. They certainly amplified the scent with holy magic and enlarged the shadow's outline, but it was real."
"......."
Golden hair that evoked the brilliant golden light symbolic of the Glayzer Empire.
And similarly, golden irises like molten gold blazed yellow.
"That man is the real deal. I understand why Queen Sharperia of Palania moved personally. For the kingdom's future, yes—but there's a high chance she simply fell for him."
As if it were only natural, Helena heaped praise upon Si-woo.
It was laughable that her criteria were things like the size of his member and the scent of his semen, but the Third Princess was a woman stingy with praise. Thus, her subordinate was genuinely flustered.
"In any case, since we've finished eating, let's return. We have much to do. All personnel who came to Restaurant Two will focus entirely on candidate Han Si-woo for the time being."
"Understood."
"However, we do not make direct contact now. In my view, other nations will surely fail as well. We'll move more actively once the results are out, but for now, creating unreasonable conditions to request from the imperial court takes priority."
"Yes, I'll prepare it right away."
"We move two days later, after the examination. By then, the imperial court will have expressed their refusal. In the meantime, we'll craft new conditions and approach candidate Han Si-woo... conditions favorable to us, not the imperial court."
At Helena's final words, everyone except the subordinate she'd been speaking with widened their eyes in shock.
What she had just said meant she would finally unfurl the ambitions she'd been harboring. It meant she would defy centuries of law and tradition to sincerely reveal her ambition for the throne.
"Y-Your Highness...!!"
At her overly emotional followers' reactions, Helena let out a soft laugh.
"How will we manage if you react so excessively? Even with a magic barrier up, you'll give away that something is amiss."
"Ah... I-I'm sorry! I'll correct myself!"
"Good. Just be more careful next time. Now then, let's be off."
Those seated around the Third Princess rose from their seats in unison.
At that overwhelming display of authority, all eyes turned to them before quickly looking away.
Though the woman called the Iron-Blooded Princess enjoyed immense popularity and admiration among her followers, she was absolutely not so among rivals or other nations. She was a dangerous person, a person of interest.
Just as Si-woo and Saintess Elaine had hoped, they succeeded in piquing the interest of Helena Glayzer, Third Princess. But the effects didn't end there.
The rumor spread through the three or so nations present at Restaurant Two, and from there to latecomers and their acquaintances—spreading through the entire hotel in less than half a day.
And the protagonist who caused this commotion was quietly meditating in his room.
"Hoo..."
Si-woo sat cross-legged on the bed, focusing.
While the meditation posture didn't need to be a rigid cross-legged one, ten years of habit made him comfortable this way.
Even if a certain knight and saint watching him couldn't understand it.
"...Lord Hildear. Is Sir Si-woo... d-doing mana cultivation right now...?"
"Yes."
Elaine's pupils trembled in shock.
At that rare sight, Hildear swelled with pride as if it were her own achievement. It was a secret that shouldn't be revealed to anyone unimportant or untrustworthy. Though it was a bit sad that Elaine now knew, the knight's nose was held high.
Because she believed Si-woo's mana awakening was the result of his efforts to take her virginity. While that was the catalyst, the cause was slightly different, but since Si-woo hadn't properly explained, Hildear didn't know the truth.
"Th-this is truly... nothing short of a miracle...."
Elaine wasn't just a woman who acted on her lust and whims.
She had diligently studied holy magic, harnessing her immense holy power, and actively learned knowledge in fields that interested her.
After deciding to join the hero's party, she immediately sought out and studied relevant materials. The Glayzer Empire, where the hero training institute was located, had deep connections to various gods, including the Lord God, and thus had abundant records—as did the Holy Vishra Empire.
And there, she found information about mana awakening and blessings among the men of this world and hero candidates.
Men awakened blessings more easily than mana.
The shortest recorded time for a hero candidate to awaken mana had been two months. Si-woo had just shattered that record.
One might wonder what mana mattered to a man who didn't fight directly, but mana greatly affected virility as well. No matter how gifted a man was naturally, he had limits without mana awakening.
The mana awakening rate for men in this world was approximately 0.01%. It was one reason why stronger women tended to preserve their hymen.
"It'll probably be revealed eventually when the examination happens in two days."
"It can't be helped. Still, that day may be the starting point that changes the continent's history."
"Starting... point..."
Hildear murmured the word to herself, strangely breaking it up.
At that strange manner of speaking, Elaine flusteredly looked at the blue-haired knight.
"Why do you ask, Saintess?"
"I'll be honest."
"Yes. Please speak."
"Lord Hildear. You don't like me, do you."
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