The Neutral Saint's Devilish Advice
"Why... why are you doing this, Saintess?"
Arty, who had watched Sosia work at the hospital for a long time, stammered nervously at the sight of her cold expression—one she had never seen before.
"No need to be so frightened. Even like this, I'm showing you quite a bit of goodwill by revealing my true self."
"Y-your true self...?"
Her blank face and dry tone made it clear—this was Sosia's real face. The unmasked version, free of any performance.
"Why... why show me your true self all of a sudden?"
"Because I want to have an honest conversation with you. You wouldn't believe me if I kept up the usual act, and I figured that by now, you might actually understand."
Contrary to Sosia's words, Arty understood nothing. Sosia simply nodded as if she had expected that reaction.
"I'll explain slowly. After all, it'll take quite a while for Joyeon to wake up."
Sosia gently brushed Joyeon's hair as he lay unconscious with his head resting on Arty's thigh, then began her explanation.
"I'm not some saint."
"...You've said that before, even in your usual tone."
"That's right. I've always said it. And I always meant it. I'm not some grand, saintly existence. The only lives that matter to me are mine and Joyeon's. I have no interest in anyone else's. I only keep people around when I need them."
"Huh...? But you're the one who created this hospital where modern humans and mages can receive treatment without fighting."
"I have no power. This place is nothing more than a space I made to survive. If I can't fight, then I have to make it so that fighting isn't possible."
"No, but that still doesn't add up. If the only people who matter to you are yourself and Joyeon, what about your husband? He exists, doesn't he?"
"......"
When Arty pointed out the inconsistency, Sosia simply stared at her with that same expressionless face.
"...S-Saintess?"
"The only people who matter to me are Joyeon and myself. I don't care about anyone else."
"W-what are you saying? At the very least, your husband—"
"He was only necessary. The existence of a husband. In the world I came from, a woman of marriageable age had to marry, or people would bother her with annoying interference."
"What on earth..."
"That's the kind of human I am. Someone with shallow emotions who lives by calculation. In the modern world I lived in, I would have been called a sociopath—a psychopath."
"A... psychopath?"
"Yes. Everything is for my sake. The reason I've survived until now has always been for myself."
"B-but when I was thrown into this fused world, you saved me."
"That was the same. I thought you would be useful."
Sosia looked at Arty not as an equal human being, but as a valuable object.
"The moment I saw you, I decided you'd be convenient to use no matter what situation arose, so I kept you close."
"Convenient to use...? You mean my ability?"
"Of course, that was part of it. Your ability can't be used alone, but in a place like this hospital where many people gather, its efficiency is maximized. That said, if I'm being honest, I kept you around more because of your appearance than your ability."
"...Surely not."
"Yes. Exactly what you're thinking. In a world without order or law, a beautiful appearance easily becomes a target for trash. I myself am fairly attractive for my age, so I needed someone prettier than me. In short, you were meant to draw attention."
"......"
At Sosia's blunt explanation, Arty's face grew increasingly pale. It was difficult to accept that the person she had believed to be her savior had actually intended to use her as bait.
"I-I bring misfortune with me, though? Rather than preparing for situations that might happen..."
"That's the same. Since everyone knows that approaching you invites misfortune, I can use that. If a big problem occurs, I can simply shift all the blame onto you."
"......"
Arty didn't know whether she should feel disappointed, angry, or simply let it go because she had been saved despite everything. She couldn't decide how to react.
"You don't need to take it so seriously, Arty."
"That wasn't something I could take lightly."
"In any case, you have no other options. It's true that you've been able to live without problems until now because I saved you, and it's also true that you could live comfortably without being violated by trash because of the neutral hospital I created. And now, I'm even telling you the truth."
"The truth... Now that you mention it, you did say you were showing me goodwill."
"That's right."
"...What exactly are you planning to do with me?"
Arty asked in a trembling voice.
"Nothing in particular."
"...What?"
"I won't do anything to you. The one who has to act is you."
"U-um... Could you explain it more simply...?"
"Simply put, if you don't want to be abandoned, you're the one who needs to move."
"If I don't want to be abandoned...?"
Arty mulled over Sosia's words. Abandoned? By whom? Me, abandoned? Having never been abandoned or rejected by anyone in her life, it took Arty considerable time to understand. Still, she wasn't completely foolish, so she eventually grasped the meaning.
"...Are you talking about Joyeon?"
Sosia nodded.
"Originally, I planned to have Joyeon take a liking to you and then ask you to stay close to him. But..."
"Joyeon isn't someone who needs my help, is he...?"
"I didn't expect him to grow this much. When he didn't come to the hospital for over two months, I assumed he was cowering somewhere in fear."
"......"
"But as you said, it seems Joyeon doesn't really need you. If anything, he's the one who's a waste."
Arty flinched as Sosia's eyes scanned her up and down, appraising her value. She tried to offer some excuse but ultimately lowered her head in silence, accepting the words.
In an ordinary world, Arty—with her artistic talent capable of captivating even gods and her charm like a succubus in human form—would have been an existence far above Joyeon. But in this fused world, where power was everything, her artistic talent meant almost nothing, and her beautiful appearance only attracted the greedy gazes of trash. Add to that the misfortune she carried, and she was nothing more than a troublesome existence that no one would want to keep around.
"Do you understand now how cheap you are compared to Joyeon in this world?"
"...Yes."
"Good. Knowing your place is important. I'm glad you didn't throw a pointless tantrum."
"......"
"...You don't have to look so down. I've been saying it since earlier—I have goodwill toward you. I'll teach you how to stay by Joyeon's side without being separated."
"A way?"
"Yes."
Arty closed her mouth and focused, ready to listen to whatever method Sosia had in mind.
"There are two conditions for using this method. First, the other party must have a sense of responsibility. Second, you must be willing to ruin their life."
"Ruin...? You're still talking about how to stay with Joyeon, right?"
"Yes. The first condition isn't a problem given Joyeon's personality. The second condition is the only one left, and I don't think you'd have an issue with it."
"What? I have no intention of ruining anyone's life..."
"You don't need to think so seriously. All I'm suggesting is creating an undeniable 'established fact.'"
"An established... fact?"
"There are many ways, but the simplest method I recommend is to force alcohol down his throat until he's unconscious and then take him."
"...What? What did you just—"
"If his mind isn't working properly, he won't be able to reject pleasure, and if you get pregnant, it's over. He won't be able to deny it."
"W-wait a minute!"
Sosia continued without stopping despite Arty's outburst.
"Even if some pests come claiming it's a lie, it won't be a problem. Just show them the pregnancy test with two lines and the paternity test results, and they'll have nothing to say."
Though several unfamiliar terms were mixed in, Arty somehow managed to follow Sosia's dizzying explanation. Once she fully understood, her face turned deathly pale.
"S-surely... this is... a joke, right, Saintess...?"
"Joyeon is a man too. I don't know his preferences, but there's no way he'd reject a woman like you. And even if you're carrying his child, he'll protect you anyway, so there's nothing to worry about."
"W-wait! What exactly are you saying?!"
Arty's face flushed bright red as she shouted at Sosia, who kept steering the conversation in an unexpected direction. She had never imagined Sosia would think of her in such a way, and now the woman's gaze made her skin crawl.
"It's not a bad thing for you. Your appearance isn't suited for living smoothly in this world. It's better to find a good man quickly, just like I did right after becoming an adult. Besides, you like Joyeon, don't you?"
"Ah, th-that's... ugh..."
"If you live as his woman, I'll allow you to stay by his side."
"......"
Sosia's proposal was immoral in its method but offered results so ideal that it could only be called a devil's bargain. Using her body just once would make it impossible for her to be separated from Joyeon. He could ward off misfortune, possessed enough mental fortitude to sleep in the same bed without attacking her, had the power to single-handedly crush an army of over a hundred monsters, and on top of that, he was the necromancer she had dreamed of meeting—and the very Joyeon she had already fallen for. It would simply accelerate something that would happen far in the future anyway. There was no problem at all.
Arty, who had briefly imagined building a family with Joyeon, having children, living happily, and growing old together, shook her head vigorously.
"No matter what, I can't do something like that."
Arty barely managed to reject Sosia's proposal, which seemed to have no reason for refusal if she was willing to sell her conscience even a little.
"Why? You won't find a better option than this."
"Say something that makes sense! Getting pregnant... I-I mean, it's true that I have a little bit of feelings for Joyeon, but..."
"A little?"
"J-just a little! Only a little! I can't deny that much, but... anyway! I came to this world with the dream of becoming the 'protagonist'! I can't live by clinging to Joyeon like this."
"...Tsk. Now that you mention it, you did have that incomprehensible goal."
Sosia clicked her tongue as if only now remembering, then said,
"Then do as you like."
"...Huh?"
She gave up so cleanly.
"Just make sure you don't get separated from Joyeon."
"D-does that mean... I can stay with Joyeon?"
"If I told you to leave, would you? No, right? Even if I tried to force you apart, you're not weaker than me. Besides, I don't want to do something like that and earn his hatred."
"Th-then what about what you said earlier..."
"I've been saying it all along. I have goodwill toward you. I simply told you the most ideal and easiest method. You rejected it, so that's the end of it. From now on, handle it yourself."
Arty was left speechless by Sosia's clean abandonment. However, since things hadn't escalated into anything too serious, she let out a deep sigh and relaxed. Then, without thinking, she gently stroked Joyeon's face resting on her thigh.
Sosia watched her with an expression that clearly showed she couldn't understand why Arty had rejected the proposal.
"One piece of advice, Arty."
"Ah, yes."
"Don't erase my suggestion from your mind just because you rejected it once. If you ever make up your mind, feel free to act on it whenever you want."
"Ehh..."
"Don't take it too lightly. And I hope you don't get foolishly robbed because of stupid thoughts like pointless pride, satisfaction with the current relationship, or shame about making the first move. Just like the women who had him taken from them by me."
"......"
"If I were you, I would've stripped him the moment he passed out."
"W-what are you saying!"
"Mmm~"
Joyeon began to stir, slowly regaining consciousness at the sound of Arty's voice. Only then did Arty realize what she was doing and quickly hid her hands behind her back in surprise.
"You'd better remember my words. In this hopeless world, there will definitely be plenty of people targeting Joyeon besides you. You're just the one who got the chance first. Think carefully."
Sosia gave Arty a sincere piece of advice.