This Wasn’t an Erotic Game?

Chapter 41 - What Kind of Bullshit Is This?

『 Translator – Divinity 』

"How is Iomene doing? Saint?"

Princess Almene, her face pale and drawn, asked me with dark circles under her eyes.

Whenever she felt a bit better, she would often call for me and ask about Iomene.

"She is gradually recovering, Your Highness."

It was true.

After the torture sessions every Tuesday stopped, Princess Iomene's condition had noticeably improved.

Princess Almene smiled faintly, seemingly relieved at my words.

She touched her left eye.

Her left eye, with a magic circle glowing on it, was closed shut, unable to open.

"Terrible sensations and memories sometimes break through the magic and come to me. Even just those sensations are so painful that I'm confined to my bed... I can't imagine what Iomene must have been going through."

"She will get better. I promise you."

At my words, Princess Almene smiled.

A secret princess who had never revealed her face to the public...

If she had, she probably would have been incredibly popular.

She was that beautiful.

"I... I've been trying to make only happy memories, even if it seems foolish. Beautiful, lovely, joyful, happy things. I've been trying to eat only delicious food and make happy memories."

"That's a good thing, Your Highness."

"It seems selfish, doesn't it? Iomene is suffering in the detached palace, while I'm enjoying all the good things alone."

I shook my head.

I understood why she did that.

"You must have thought that if Iomene's pain could break through the magic and reach you, then your happy and joyful memories and emotions could also reach her through the magic, right?"

Princess Almene chuckled.

"That's right. I don't want Iomene to die. I want her to recover and experience many fun things with me. When her pain came to me, I was actually happy. Of course, it was very difficult and painful, but it felt like I was sharing her burden, even if just a little."

"You are noble."

Perhaps Princess Almene's efforts played a part in preventing Iomene from completely losing her mind. If negative influences could reach Almene through the magic, then the opposite must also be possible.

"Iomene will surely recover. The Saint is treating her directly, so... right?"

I don't know.

Am I such a great person that I can confidently say those words?

But I nodded.

"It surely will."

At my words, Princess Almene smiled.

I smiled back at her.

─ 𓆩♱𓆪 ─

Today was Tuesday.

The grandfather clock chimed, signaling 2 p.m. Iomene trembled and nervously burrowed into my arms.

I embraced her again and patted her back.

We went to the bed, lay down together, and I covered her with the blanket, holding her close. I could feel Iomene's trembling gradually subside.

"Feeling a bit calmer now?"

At first, I used honorifics, but after three weeks of observing her behavior, she seemed like a child or a pet, so I had become completely used to speaking informally.

I guess it was because I thought I wouldn't see her again after the curse transferred to me.

Iomene looked up at my words.

"Want some snacks?"

No response.

Maybe she wasn't hungry because I had just fed her a lot?

"Do you want to sleep then?"

She didn't look tired either.

She was just staring at me.

Since she couldn't speak, how could I know what she was thinking?

"Book? Should I read you a book? A picture book?"

Her eyes lit up.

I see.

It was the picture book.

I brought a picture book for children, spread it open in front of her, and read it aloud.

It was a common, typical story.

A very classic and ordinary story.

But Iomene's eyes were sparkling, as if she was seeing all this for the first time.

After reading about three picture books...

Iomene snuggled into my arms again.

She looked up at me.

"Why? What's wrong? What is it this time?"

I can't tell what you want just by looking at you.

Her face became slightly sullen.

She raised her arm and waved it around.

It seemed like she was struggling to express something.

I waited patiently.

"Uh... Ah... Uh."

Iomene's mouth opened.

"Si... Sing..."

My eyes widened.

Did she just speak?

She did, didn't she?

"Si... Sing..."

Iomene placed her hand on my mouth and touched it.

"Sing... Sing for... me."

I opened my mouth wide.

She spoke!

She formed a sentence!

"You want me to sing?"

Iomene didn't answer my question and just stared at me.

But seeing her sparkling eyes, it seemed like I was right.

This is embarrassing.

I'm a terrible singer.

It seemed like she remembered me clumsily singing anime songs and children's songs when she became anxious every Tuesday.

But what did it matter if I couldn't sing well?

This was the first clear request Iomene had made!

"Alright, I'll sing for you."

I sang for her as she requested.

Even to my own ears, my singing was atrocious, enough to make me blush, but Iomene seemed happy.

After I sang an upbeat anime song, she burst into a childlike, innocent laughter.

She got off the bed and started clumsily dancing, and I approached her, took her hand, and danced awkwardly with her.

Iomene was smiling brightly.

Why?

Why did her smile make me feel so heartbroken?

I wanted to make her as happy as possible before I left.

So we danced and played.

Tuesday at 2 p.m., the time that Iomene used to dread the most, was filled with laughter and playful sounds.

We danced and played until dinner, and after having a sweet dinner, we played simple games like tag and hide-and-seek in the detached palace.

Iomene seemed to be enjoying everything very much.

In the end, we ended up playing until midnight, thanks to Iomene's insistence.

It was time to sleep now.

"I'm glad you can smile now."

I took Iomene to her bedroom and tucked her into bed.

"Now it's time to wash up and sleep. It's late, okay?"

As I stroked her hair, Iomene suddenly started rubbing her face against my hand.

"Li... Like. I like it."

"What do you like so much?"

"Li... Like... I like it."

Iomene repeated the word "like" in her inarticulate way and giggled.

Whoever those bastards were who cursed her, they were truly despicable.

Sixteen years.

She was a child who had been tortured without fail for sixteen years.

She caused the healthy Princess Almene to become bedridden, and she also pushed the Emperor and Empress into endless guilt.

What wrong had this young princess and her family committed?

"It won't be long before you won't be in pain anymore. You'll never be sick again. Okay?"

"In... pain?"

"You won't need treatment anymore, you won't be hurt anymore, and you won't have to be scared anymore. Because I'm going to heal you."

And in exchange, I will disappear from this place forever.

We'll never see each other again.

I didn't need to explain that part.

"You'll eat delicious food and have many joyful experiences. You'll be twice as happy as you've been in pain and hardship. Because your mom and dad are truly amazing people. They'll buy you anything, everything you ask for. You'll have everything you want."

"Eve... Everything? Everything?"

"Yes, everything. Once you're healed, you'll be the most noble, loved, and happy person. Iomene, so don't give up and live your life to the fullest. You have to be happier than the amount you've suffered, okay?"

"Good. Good."

Iomene smiled like a child.

The huge wings on her back flapped.

It was getting late.

I should get going.

"I'll be going now, Iomene. I'll come again tomorrow, so be good until then..."

Iomene grabbed my arm.

She looked at me with wide, innocent eyes.

"To... Together."

Together?

Iomene pointed at the bed.

She had a look on her face like a puppy that needed to pee.

"To... To... Together. Together..."

Together what?

Sleep together?

In the bed?

"No, I have to go back. You can sleep alone, can't you?"

"Together. Together."

She insisted.

But I shook my head.

I had to go back.

No matter what, if I slept with the princess, I didn't know what the Emperor would say.

"I'm sorry. I'll be going back. Sleeping together is a bit..."

Iomene looked disappointed.

But it couldn't be helped.

What father would be happy with a strange man sleeping in the same bed as his daughter?

I smiled at Iomene and gently removed her hand from mine.

"How? How? Together? Together? How?"

She asked in her inarticulate way.

How can we sleep together? That's what she meant, right?

"We can sleep together if we get married."

"Marry. Then marry!"

Iomene grabbed my hand and shook it.

This is troubling.

It was going so well, why is she suddenly acting like this?

"Night... lonely."

As I was struggling, Iomene mumbled sadly.

"Lonely. No one."

There was no one in the room where she stayed.

No one approached her because of the curse.

The only people who interacted with her were the priests who bombarded her with divine magic every Tuesday.

Cleaning?

I heard that it was taken care of by the magic inscribed in the detached palace.

She would have had no opportunity for human interaction.

"Sing. Bed. Together. Together."

This is troubling.

If His Majesty the Emperor found out about this, he wouldn't leave me alone...

...But I'm going to disappear from this world soon anyway, right?

Then can't I do whatever I want?

I won't sleep here, though.

I'll just lie down with her until she falls asleep.

"Okay, let's lie down together. I'll stay with you until you fall asleep."

At my words, she was overjoyed, like a child.

We got into bed together.

Iomene clung to me like a puppy.

I stroked Iomene's hair and sang to her.

Perhaps because she was tired from playing with me all day, she soon started to doze off.

"Tomorrow... again?"

I was also sleepy from playing with her all day.

I yawned and nodded.

"I'll come again tomorrow, Iomene."

"Promise?"

"Yes, I... promise."

I was so tired.

Sleepiness was weighing heavily on my eyelids.

My head bobbed, and soon, I succumbed to sleep.

Before falling asleep...

"Good."

I heard Iomene mumble in a drowsy voice, also half-asleep.

That was the last thing I heard before I briefly lost consciousness.

─ 𓆩♱𓆪 ─

When I woke up, it was already 6 a.m.

I had a wonderful sleep.

I carefully slipped out of Iomene's grasp as she slept soundly, clinging to me.

I left the detached palace.

Now it truly wouldn't be long.

There wasn't anything for me to... take care of.

I had already told Erpa to live her life to the fullest even after I was gone.

And High Priest Yodel and the people of the Lilia Church would probably remember and cherish Saint Amael, who sacrificed himself heroically to remove the fragment of the Evil God.

A saint who saves the princess and the world from the fragment of the Evil God that would bring about destruction and then disappears.

Cool and fitting, isn't it?

As I walked through the night streets, I felt a strange pang of sadness, thinking that I would never see this place again.

Perhaps I had grown attached to it.

Even though this was a place with barely any good memories, it still made me feel a bit melancholic knowing I was leaving.

Whatever.

Forget about being melancholic.

It was disgusting meeting you all.

And let's never see each other again.

Thinking that, I entered the three slum districts and started to head back towards the Magic Tower Temple, rising high enough to be seen even from the outskirts of the capital.

And suddenly...

I stopped walking, feeling a dreadful chill.

I wasn't the only one.

"What was that just now?"

"A strange feeling!..."

People started pouring out of the Magic Tower Temple, and the streets were instantly filled with people.

Everyone slowly...

Turned their gazes towards the source of the dreadful feeling.

The Imperial Palace.

It was coming from the direction of the Imperial Palace.

This bizarre sensation, as if something was scraping at my very soul, seemed to herald the appearance of something incredibly evil and sinister.

And the identity of that sinister thing was revealed by Grandpa Yodel, who had rushed out of the temple in his pajamas.

"Th-that curse! Why is the aura of the curse coming from the Imperial Palace!... "

As soon as I heard those words, I started running.

I cast Body Enhancement on myself and sprinted with incredible speed.

Why??

Her mental state should have been stable?

The fragment of the Evil God was about to transfer to me!

Then why suddenly?!

What kind of bullshit is this!!