I Became the Maid of the Lout Prince

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“…Huh?”

What is this guy saying now?

The first emotion that came to me upon hearing Gyeongmwajogyegigwat’s suggestion to join the Hero’s party was, naturally, ‘bewilderment’.

Until just a moment ago, I thought he had properly understood my refusal to join the Hero’s party, but I hadn’t expected him to suddenly propose such an incomprehensible condition.

“W-What kind of nonsense is that?!”

“I said this is the minimum condition I can compromise on. If you won’t even agree to this much, I won’t cooperate with your plan either. No, I might even actively interfere.”

“No…!! I-I would agree if it was anything reasonable, but that condition is just too absurd! As someone who’s played Luminor Academy 25 times, I know best that joining the Hero’s party means running around for at least a few years. Who are you trying to drag into danger like some water ghost…!”

Even if I get shot in the head with an Energy Bolt, I absolutely can’t join the Hero’s party.

Part of my struggle to survive as Lilith was to avoid being pounced on by pig-era Ethan, but it was also to prevent joining the Hero’s party by accidentally getting involved in the main academy storyline. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

At that time, I thought there wasn’t much difference between being under Ethan or being taken by the Hero, and getting taken by another man to avoid a future of moaning under a man wasn’t even an option in my survival strategy.

But after all that trouble to avoid both the Ethan rape route and the Hero’s party route, now you’re telling me to join the Hero’s party again? Absolutely not.

“I-Is my body your goal after all?! You seem to be misunderstanding something; if you think I’ll spread my legs for you like the Lilith in the game just because I join the Hero’s party, you should get rid of that idea right now…”

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not particularly interested in your body, and I’m not trying to interfere with your future plans for your life. I’m just saying that if you can’t awaken Seriste as the Saint, you’ll be needed, so I’ll have you join the Hero’s party.”

“E-Even without me, Seriste is destined to awaken as the Saint anyway, so there’s no need to take me along just to clear the game…”

“I know that much from the walkthrough. But that’s only when there isn’t a real Saint like you.”

“…Huh?”

“For Seriste to awaken, it needs to be at least the latter half of Part 4, which is almost five years from now in terms of time. Do you think it’s possible for her to properly act as part of the Hero’s party with me for those five years while being stigmatized as a fake Saint because of you?”

For a moment, I was at a loss for words at Gyeongmwajogyegigwat’s statement. I certainly might not have thought that far…

“What if Seriste’s heart weakens during that process or is affected to the point where she can’t even awaken as the Saint? No, that’s more likely to happen. If a ‘real Saint’ exists in the first place, the belief that she herself needs to become the Saint probably won’t even arise.”

“T-That’s…”

“And let’s say Seriste’s faith somehow remains unchanged and she endures for five years. Even if she awakens after that, what about the disgrace of being called a fake Saint that Seriste will have endured until then? Do you think it’s something that can be handled with just an apology or two?”

“O-Of course not, but…”

…Perhaps I had been desperately denying it deep in my heart. While vaguely realizing that if I became the Saint, Seriste wouldn’t be able to become the Saint through her faith alone, my subconscious might have deliberately avoided recalling that fact because it was disadvantageous to me.

The reason Seriste could awaken even after Lilith’s awakening in the game was that her heart was already firmly set on the possibility that she too could become a Saint at that point.

Conversely, if she witnesses that I am the real Saint in her current situation where she’s not yet mentally mature, it would be almost impossible for her to become a Saint on her own, even if we follow the original story.

“B-But you know…”

“Yeah?”

“Even if I join your party after I awaken, the fact that Seriste is a fake Saint will be revealed anyway, right? That’s something we can’t avoid even if I join the Hero’s party, so shouldn’t we stop the blessing itself?”

“Honestly, I’d like to do that, but it’s still better than you dying. I’d feel uneasy later if I knew someone from my hometown was going to die and I didn’t prevent it.”

“…Well, that’s true.” [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

“And I’m cooperating now because killing Machart now will be useful for story progression later, but I can’t cooperate if your decision seems like it’ll hinder game completion. …Also, if you join the Hero’s party, there’s a way to protect Seriste from dishonor.”

“…Huh?”

What does me joining the Hero’s party have to do with protecting Seriste from dishonor?

As I was puzzled by this sudden turn in the conversation, Gyeongmwajogyegigwat continued with what seemed to be an obvious explanation to him.

“First of all, just by you acting together with Seriste, she can continue to pretend to be the ‘real Saint’. After all, ordinary people will only feel that holy aura of divine power, and when multiple people are together, they won’t be able to distinguish who it’s coming from.”

“Even if we can deceive ordinary people like that, what about church-related events? We’ll have to visit the church a few times, if only because of Seriste, right?”

“…We’ll have to be careful about such events, of course. But with the help of the high-ranking priests who promoted Seriste as the Saint, it shouldn’t be impossible to hide it.”

“……”

“This is more important than the previous reasons, but I want to put you in the Hero’s party to protect Seriste until the end, even if it’s revealed that she’s a fake Saint.”

“…How?”

“Let’s assume that while you’re active in the Hero’s party with me, at some point, it’s revealed that you were actually the Saint, and it’s discovered that Seriste was a fake Saint.”

“…Okay.”

“Then, Seriste will naturally face criticism like this: How could you pretend to be the Saint when you weren’t even one, selling the honor of the Saint?”

“…Well, I guess so.”

“If that situation arises, you just need to say one thing. ‘Seriste was just someone who deliberately played the role of a disguised Saint to protect me from the assassination threats of the demon race.’ If you just say that one sentence, Seriste won’t have to face unnecessary criticism, and instead, she’ll be treated as a brave girl who tried to take on the danger in your place until now.”

“…Ah!”

After hearing this explanation, I finally understood why Gyeongmwajogyegigwat wanted to put me in the Hero’s party.

It wasn’t just the simple reason that he needed a Saint and would take me if I became one. What he was worried about from the beginning wasn’t the power of the Saint, but the priestess Seriste herself.

Rather than the fact that a Saint was needed for the final conquest, seeing his consideration for Seriste suddenly made him appear different to me. I thought he was just a Hero on the outside with a loose personality inside, but it was surprising to see that his consciousness itself was truly befitting of a Hero.

“And of course, to use the excuse that Seriste played your stand-in role, you naturally need to be active with me, which is why I’m saying you should join the party. If we just set up a stand-in and the real Saint doesn’t work, it’ll look like a hastily made excuse to anyone.”

“Ah, yeah. I understood what you meant earlier. I was just a bit surprised…”

“Surprised about what?”

“I just thought you were focused solely on game strategy with the intention of returning to the real world, but it’s surprising that you’re even considering people like Seriste.”

“…It can’t be helped. Seriste is a girl who can’t even reveal that she’s a fake Saint just because of me alone, and is trying so hard for my sake. Of course, I should do what I can for Seriste, too. The same goes for girls like Selena and Seraphine. At least while I’m here, I can somehow protect her from the fake Saint suspicions, but in the end, I’m someone who has to return to the real world. I need to create an environment where Seriste can feel at ease even after I’m gone.”

…With such a firm resolve, it would be irresponsible of me to say “I still can’t do it” here.

Even I didn’t intend to be such a shameless person. After all, what I was about to do would increase the possibility of revealing that Seriste was a fake Saint, so it seemed morally right for me to take that much responsibility.

In a way, it might just be a few years of hardship for me, but my choice could potentially lead to a lifetime of suffering for Seriste.  [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Moreover, if things went wrong, it might not just end with a lifetime of humiliation, but she could face severe consequences for impersonating a Saint.

With these thoughts, I couldn’t help but make up my mind to some extent.

“Alright, I guess doing that much wouldn’t make me feel guilty towards Seriste.”

“Don’t say you’re done with this after you get what you wanted.”

“I won’t say that. I’m receiving help to save myself, so I’m not a shameless guy to run away in the opposite situation, you know?”

“Not as a ‘guy’ but as a ‘girl’, right?”

“…Well, anyway.”

“Keep your promise. If a situation arises where you can’t awaken Seriste as the Saint, you, Lilith, will join the Hero’s party.”

“I said I understood. If it looks like Seriste won’t be able to awaken as the Saint, I’ll join the Hero’s party…”

“…Ah, no…!!”

Slide, slam!

“…Join…?”

“…Seriste?”

“T-That, that can’t happen!! N-No matter if it’s you, Lady Lilith, I absolutely won’t hand over the Hero!!”

“……”

“……”

Seriste’s sudden outburst in the middle of my conversation with Gyeongmwajogyegigwat left both of us speechless.

…Wait, but from where did she overhear this?