He's Not Going to Cause Trouble, Right?
He's Not Going to Cause Trouble, Right?
For several days, I had to go back and forth between the Pantheon and the imperial intelligence agency Black Fortress for what they called an investigation.
Calling it an investigation was generous, really. It was closer to a process of checking to see if I had any wounds, if even the slightest part of me was injured.
And when they finally released me, the chaos I walked into was beyond anything I could have imagined.
[Breaking News! The Chosen of the Evil God confirmed to have infiltrated the Imperial Palace! Shocking!!]
[The Healing Saint Amael! Savior of the Empire!!]
[The Saintess of Evil Eradication! A New Birth! White Order High Priest Miromel swears loyalty and obedience to the new saintess!!]
[The Saintess of Evil Eradication and previously hidden Imperial Princess Iomene! Punishes the Chosen of the Evil God!!]
Every newspaper in the empire was running massive coverage of the events that had taken place in the Imperial Palace.
On top of that, every citizen in the capital had witnessed the moment when the brilliant burst of light that erupted from the shattering Fragment of the Evil God healed people.
In that situation, when the Imperial Household transparently disclosed everything that had happened, the world's reaction was literally explosive.
"Saint! Aaaah!!"
"Saint!! Saint!! Please, just one glance!"
"He looked at me!! He looked at me!! The Saint looked into my eyes!!"
People were beginning to faint or weep in overwhelming emotion if they so much as made eye contact with me on the street.
And one more side effect.
"Just one word, please!!"
"Saint! Saint! Arkal Daily here! An interview? Would a moment be all right?"
"How did you catch the Chosen of the Evil God who infiltrated the Imperial Household? They were wrapped in a very powerful miracle called the Miracle of Concealment, making them difficult for even high-ranking priests to find...... no! I heard it was nearly impossible!!"
Reporters had started to swarm.
Maybe because what I had pulled off in the Imperial Household was so shocking, journalists who had caught the scent of a scoop latched onto me like a swarm of bees.
People shedding tears.
People fainting.
People begging me to just hold their hand once.
And reporters who pushed through those crowds and dashed up to me to fire off passionate questions, trying to somehow land an interview.
Ah, fuck!!
Just leave me alone!!
On that short road back from the Black Fortress to the Magic Tower Temple, I even felt as if my soul had left my body from the sheer press of the crowd that had gathered just to see me.
"High Priest Yodel. I want to rest."
"It shall be as you wish!!"
I returned to the Magic Tower Temple, told Old Man Yodel not to let anyone in unless it was a truly urgent matter, and then collapsed onto my bed.
What was I going to do now?
My method of flying back to Korea with a cheat key had been thwarted.
That meant I had to go back to the orthodox strategy of being forgiven by the goddess.......
But as I said, this method had a high probability of failure.
And on top of that, I was currently misunderstood as having performed an immense miracle, so it was obvious that if I vanished, the number of people searching for me would increase even more.
What kind of malicious cosmic harassment this was!
I don't want to go to hell!!
"Saint?"
While I was gloomily pounding my pillow on the bed.
Old man Yodel knocked on the door, even though it hadn't been long since I'd entered the room.
"My apologies, but knights of the Imperial Guard have come to see you."
Ah.
His Imperial Majesty must have sent them.
I sighed and told them to come in.
Royal Guard Knights in dazzling uniforms, with long swords at their waists, entered my room with crisp precision.
"Saint. His Majesty has commanded us to escort you."
Right.
Of course he would summon me.
I had expected he would call for me once all the aftermath was settled.
I rose from my seat.
For an orthodox escape method, three things were essential for me.
1. A way to neutralize the Tracking Miracle and whatever other methods could find me. I could ask the order's people about this.
2. A way to strengthen my Time Stop ability, which was absolutely essential for my escape. I had to consult the Magic Tower on this one.
3. Money to live on once I had fled.
This one.
This third one was the biggest problem.
The Order of Grace was famous for its wealth, and Karma Company was raking in piles of money, so couldn't I just embezzle that?
No.
The goddess was already furious enough with me to throw me into hell. If I even touched a single coin of the order's money?
The goddess might shout, 'Only the result! The only thing that remains is the result!! King Crimson!!' and erase the entire process, instantly turning me into a permanent hellfire whole-roasted pork barbecue sent straight to hell.
Then where could I get money that was secret, untraceable, and would allow me to live without drawing attention?
His Imperial Majesty.
Wouldn't His Imperial Majesty have plenty of that kind of money?
He was undoubtedly going to ask me what I wanted as a reward.
I planned to ask for gold.
The kind that couldn't be tracked.
This was a fantasy world, wasn't it?
Wouldn't there be something like a Subspace Pouch enchanted with Weight Reduction Magic?
I would stuff the gold into something like that and then secretly run away with it.
And then I would go somewhere where it was hard to find people and live as quiet as a mouse.
Praying that no one would ever be able to find me.
"Please, lead the way."
At my words, the Royal Guard Knights respectfully guided me.
Their eyes were filled with a respect so deep that I wondered if even the emperor himself drew that kind of expression.
It was overwhelming.
That kind of look, directed at a bastard whose only thought was to get gold from the emperor and bolt.
That was why people should live lives that suited their station.
What kind of saint was I?
It was honestly so burdensome.
Let's run away quickly.
And live truly quietly.
Live like a dead mouse and then end it.
Please, let that be enough for the goddess to forgive me.......
***
The splendid and spacious reception room was filled with objects that looked like even scratching one would require three generations of backbreaking labor to pay off.
"Your Majesty. We have brought him."
"Well done. You may withdraw."
The Royal Guard Knights saluted with precision and then withdrew from the reception room.
The emperor and empress. The sisters Iomene and Almene.
And priests and holy knights of the White Order stood at attention with grave expressions behind Princess Iomene.
Even High Priest Miromel of the White Order stood at the very front.
It seemed certain that Iomene had become a saintess.
"Welcome, Saint."
When the emperor saw me, he approached me directly, took my hand, and kissed the back of it.
From his tone to his actions.
He was excessively courteous for the ruler of a nation.
But no one in the room found the sight strange.
I was the one who felt so pressured that I thought a hole might open up in the ceiling.
"This is too much, Your Majesty. I am merely one of your imperial subjects......."
"You are the savior of the empire. The savior of an inadequate father and the savior of an unfortunate daughter. No courtesy I may ever show you will be excessive."
After saying that, the emperor personally seated me on the sofa in the reception room.
The moment I sat on the sofa, Iomene, who had been sitting beside the empress, dashed over and clung tightly to me.
"Good!!"
Her speech was still clumsy, it seemed.
Anyway.......
I hadn't noticed it when she was in shabby clothes with black wings on her back, but now that she was dressed up and even wearing light makeup, Iomene.
She really was pretty.
"Iomene fretted so much about how she wanted to see the Saint. Her face was puffed up in a sulk all day."
The empress said that with a gentle smile.
Princess Almene was smiling, too.
Even the emperor was.
No.
Is that the right reaction when your daughter is rubbing her face against a man who is a stranger?!
......Well, whatever.
Let's just focus on getting the gold and bolting.
"Saint. The reason I called you here today is none other than this. I wish to ask a favor of you."
A favor?
Didn't you summon me to give me a reward?
Give me the gold.
Just give me about 10 kg of gold bars, and I'll live quietly on that.
"I would like the Saint and the Order of Grace to take full charge of my daughter Iomene's treatment."
Treatment?
Had Iomene been injured?
I was sure I had healed her body cleanly back then.
"What treatment are you speaking of?"
At my question, Princess Almene pointed to the Magic Circle engraved on her left eye.
The Magic Circle that forced the eye to remain closed.
She had said it was magic that severed the connection between the two of them, right?
"Because the Fragment of the Evil God has vanished from Iomene's body, we must now release the Blocking Magic between us. By doing so, we must restore Iomene's weakened mind."
"Is that possible?"
"It is possible because we are Soul-linked Twins. Since we share the same soul, if one side's mind is wounded, the other side can restore it. However, Iomene and I were separated for nineteen years, and Iomene's mental state is not good, so a powerful Holy Magic of Mental Protection must be used alongside it."
Princess Almene smiled brightly.
"A place where powerful Divine Magic and equipment capable of lifting a powerful Blocking Magic exist simultaneously. There is no place other than the Order of Grace's Magic Tower Temple. Furthermore, for Iomene's emotional stability during the mental recovery process, the Saint is absolutely necessary."
So that's why it was the Lilia Order.
When I thought about it, the Magic Tower Temple really was the only place where high priests and top-tier mages gathered together.
But I was in a position where I had to bolt before long, you know?
I planned to get gold from His Imperial Majesty today, then find a way to evade the Tracking Miracle and a method to use Time Stop efficiently, and then bolt immediately.
"It will not take long. We can prepare for about two days and then proceed directly with the procedure. I want to hasten the recovery of Iomene's mind. Saint. I beg of you."
Princess Almene bowed her head deeply.
Two days, she said.......
Well, two days or so.
I couldn't disappear right this moment anyway, since I needed to get my hands on the things I had just mentioned before I could leave.
Wasn't that amount of time just right?
On top of that, I also wanted to see Iomene become healthy again.
I agonized for a moment, but in the end, I nodded.
"I shall do as you have said. Send them both to the temple. I will assist with the treatment there."
"Thank you, Saint."
Everyone looked at me with eyes full of respect.
I told you, stop doing that.
It honestly makes me feel like the ceiling's going to cave in.
"I have been shameless, asking another favor first thing. Saint. Everything you have done for the empire is so immense that no reward could ever fully repay it. What do you wish for?"
At last, the line I had been waiting for came from the emperor's mouth!
That's right! Working people to the bone without compensation is absurd!
Gold!
Just as I was about to say I wanted 10 kg of gold.
Suddenly.
The image of the people who had wailed and wept in front of the burning factory flashed through my mind.
"I wish to ask for two things."
I looked straight at the emperor and stated my demands.
"Please enact a law that mandates all factories install fire prevention facilities. There had been people who burned to death. I wish to prevent such people from ever being created again."
At my words, the emperor smiled.
"You are truly noble. Regrettably, I cannot grant that request. Because the Senate has already passed a new Fire Safety Act. It will likely go into effect nationwide starting next month."
Ah. If that was the case, then that was a relief.
"That is truly fortunate. And next......."
It was a bit awkward to say this right after he had praised me as noble.
"I need 10 kg of gold. Would it not be possible to merely prepare about one hundred 100-gram gold bars for me? Contained within a weight-reduced Subspace Pouch, that is."
I felt a pang of guilt!!
But still, I put on the most confident expression I could!
I maintained a shameless look, as if I would use it for something befitting a saint!
"You are modest. To request no more than that. Of course. I shall give it to you. However, I cannot simply give 10 kg of gold and call the matter settled with the one who saved the empire. The prestige of the Arkal Empire is at stake, after all."
What...... what else was he going to give me?
"All taxes on the total profits generated by Karma Company shall be exempted for the next ten years."
The emperor grinned.
"It is a small tithe from me. Saint. I entrust Iomene to your care. If it is not too much, would it be possible for you to stay with Iomene during the two-day preparation period? I have heard that emotional stability is of the utmost importance for the mental recovery procedure."
I looked down at Iomene, who was still nestled in my arms and rubbing her face against me with a childlike smile.
He had given me 10 kg of gold and even a ten-year tax exemption for Karma Company.
I supposed I owed him some after-sales service. What else could I do?
"Gladly."
He said two days, right?
In the meantime, I would figure out how to dodge the Tracking Miracle and how to use Time Stop efficiently as fast as possible, and then I would make a quick getaway!!
"Good!!"
......First, I at least had to fix this clinging habit of Iomene's.
***
Princess Almene felt her heart pounding in her chest so hard it was almost alarming, and she was troubled.
'This is serious.'
Even though the magic that severed their connection had not yet been released, Iomene's intense emotions were piercing through the magic and reaching Almene.
Love.
She could feel Iomene's crazed, passionate love.
'She wouldn't be causing trouble, would she?'
Almene felt a slight worry.