This Wasn’t an Erotic Game?

Chapter 48 - Me too. Kiss

『 Translator – Divinity 』

I shouldn't have cried.

I shouldn't have lost control of my emotions and cried in front of Iomene.

Perhaps because she was shocked to see me cry, Iomene has been clinging to me ever since.

It's uncomfortable.

No.

Isn't it a bit too much to follow me even when I go to the bathroom??

But what choice do I have?

I can't just push away the next Saintess of the White Church and the daughter of the current Emperor.

I have no options.

I had to teach Iomene all sorts of common sense while keeping her by my side.

The emotional stability they talked about was just a fancy way of saying that I had to do the same things I did with her at the detached palace.

Play with her, read her books, stay by her side when she sleeps, eat with her.

"Together! Together!!"

Refuse her when she wants to bathe together.

"Together! Together!!"

Refuse her when she wants to sleep together.

"Marry! Marry!"

Refuse her when she frantically asks to marry me after I tell her I can't. That's how it went.

She would glare at me with dissatisfaction whenever I refused, but as soon as I stroked her hair, she would smile again and giggle.

How to hold a fork and knife. How to treat people. How to speak. I taught her everyday things like that, and for things that were difficult for a man to teach, like how to bathe or maintain personal hygiene, she learned from the female priests of the White Church.

While spending time with Iomene like that,

I was also preparing to escape from the Church.

I had received 10kg of gold bars from the Emperor, so the secret funds were secured.

For Time Stop, I could use the unicorn necklace once it was completed.

Now all that remained was to find a way to avoid the Miracle of Tracking.

"You're talking about a way to avoid the Miracle of Tracking?"

Iomene was always surrounded by battle priests and paladins of the White Church for protection. And since Iomene was always clinging to me, there was always a priest by my side as well.

One day, I cautiously asked them, thinking that since they were experts in dealing with devil worshipers and demon worshipers, they might know something about this field.

"Since the Miracle of Tracking is cast on the soul itself, it's impossible to avoid unless you use powerful curses or black magic."

"I-Is that so?”

I'm screwed.

Unavoidable?

"Yes. But as powerful as it is, it also has many drawbacks. It consumes a huge amount of divine power and is greatly affected by distance. Usually, it can't detect anything more than 1km away. Furthermore, to specify the soul, the caster must have seen the person they're searching for."

Thank goodness!

I'm not screwed after all!

"I didn't know it had those characteristics."

"If it were truly all-powerful, all the Evil God worshipers and demon followers in the world would have been caught already. Because of the limitations of direct sight and distance, battle priests and paladins periodically patrol rural areas with weak law enforcement and Church influence, or high-crime areas where it's easy to gather resentment, to see if any of the Evil God worshipers or demon followers they encountered in the past are still there."

"You're all always working hard."

"It's nothing compared to what you've done, Saint."

A distance limit of 1km.

And rural areas or high-crime areas where White Church priests or other Church priests would periodically patrol.

I have to consider these two factors when escaping, right?

Then what does this mean?

It means I have to escape to a big city.

Not the countryside, but a place with good law enforcement and no slums.

And a place so massive that even if several priests used the miracle simultaneously, it would be difficult to find me.

And a big city that's traditionally anti-religious, making it difficult for paladins or priests to visit.

I need to go to a city like that, find a decent place to live, change my face, and live quietly like a mouse.

Let's see.

A few names of suitable big cities come to mind, but which one should I choose?

While I was pondering this,

"Saint, Erpa is here to see you."

Erpa came to find me.

She used to visit me every day.

It was actually strange that she hadn't come for several days since the incident with the Evil God's fragment.

"I'd like to speak with you in private. Could you give us some space?"

At my request, the White Church priests and Royal Guards who were guarding Iomene carefully left the room.

Then, without much thought, I invited her in, and Erpa entered my room as usual, smiling at......Why isn't she smiling?

"Like! Like!!"

Iomene, as always, was clinging to me.

Erpa didn't greet me warmly or blush as she usually did.

She just stared at Iomene with an expressionless face, saying nothing.

"Welcome, Erpa."

I greeted her, but she still didn't respond. Her gaze was fixed on Iomene.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Erpa greeted Iomene politely, but with a coldness that seemed to draw a line between them. Then she turned to look at me.

"...It seems you're treating the princess?"

She asked in a quiet, subdued voice.

I nodded.

"I'm providing emotional support. They said they'll perform the procedure to restore her mind once she's stable."

"I see."

Iomene, perhaps noticing their gazes, turned to look at Erpa.

Their eyes met in the air.

It felt like sparks were flying.

This...

It seemed like jealousy.

"Kyaaaa..."

Iomene bared her teeth and hissed at Erpa, as if reading something in her expressionless gaze. I hurriedly stroked Iomene's head to calm her down, then approached Erpa.

Iomene looked quite flustered when I boldly left her side and stood up, but what could I do?

Erpa was someone I had known longer than you.

"The treatment will end tomorrow. After that, she'll return to the Imperial Palace. She's only staying with me until then for the treatment."

Erpa's expressionless face softened a bit at my words.

She cautiously approached me.

"...Me too."

"Yes?"

"I want to stay by your side too."

Iomene hissed even louder at those words. I hurriedly stroked her head again.

And at the same time, I took Erpa's hand and went to sit on the bed with her.

Erpa leaned her head on my shoulder, her expression clearly filled with jealousy.

Thanks to her four hands, she could hold my hand, wrap her arms around my waist, and even grab my arm all at the same time.

Iomene's hisses reached their peak.

She even sharpened her nails to attack Erpa's hand, but I carefully blocked her.

I'm going into hiding soon.

I'll leave the Church, stop pretending to be a saint, and live quietly like a mouse.

So before that, I needed to make some good memories with Erpa.

But Iomene, who had no idea what was going on inside my head, glared at me with wide, resentful eyes.

Please understand, Your Highness.

Erpa is someone who will have to live without me once I disappear.

I have to make her happy before I leave.

"You told me to love myself more than I love you, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did."

"When you were fighting the Evil God's fragment, I remembered those words. That's why I didn't go to save you. I believed in you. That you would return to me safely."

Erpa fidgeted with her fingers.

She leaned closer to me.

A pleasant fragrance wafted over.

"I'm glad I listened to you, Saint. You returned to me just like I believed you would."

I'm sorry.

Actually, it would have been normal for me to not return from there.

It's strange even now when I think about it.

The Evil God's fragment.

Not just any fragment, but the Evil God's fragment.

Why did it suddenly scream when it entered my body...?

Even when I studied about the fragment at the White Church, I had never heard of such a thing.

I had read stories about heroes, saints, and saintesses suffering and dying from the Evil God's fragment, or being driven mad and corrupted, but I had never heard of it suddenly dying just because it entered someone's body.

What could the reason be?

I wanted to ask the Church members, but I couldn't.

They would probably just praise me as a saint.

For now, it was best to avoid drawing attention to myself.

I stopped thinking about it, as it just made me angry.

"I don't doubt you anymore. Even if you leave me for a while, Saint. Because I know you'll come back to me."

Erpa said with a happy smile.

Her words made me feel even more depressed.

Even though I had this woman who loved and cherished me, despite her four arms, I had to disappear soon.

A feeling of frustration welled up inside me.

I didn't want to just stop at holding hands.

I didn't want to just kiss and end it there.

I wanted more.

I wanted to do much better things with her.

But I couldn't.

If I went that far, I might not be able to hold back my feelings anymore.

Yeah, fuck it.

Let's be honest. I think I like Erpa.

Wouldn't it be normal to feel this way when you have a woman like that who comes to see you every day with those eyes, blushing?

I've already imagined a life where Erpa and I are married and have grandchildren.

But I have to leave for her sake.

Goddess Lilia, really...

I really hate you.

Why are you doing this to me?

Why...

"I'm just a cane. A cane that you use for a while for your stability and then throw away."

I stroked Erpa's hair, just like I did with Iomene.

"Don't get attached to me. Let's be happy together while we can, and even if I disappear, you have to live your life to the fullest. For yourself. Okay?"

Erpa nodded.

She held my face and pulled me towards her.

A kiss.

A soft, shy kiss followed.

Happiness and sadness came together.

I'm sad.

Truly sad.

Why can't we choose to be together when we both like each other?

I have to stop at kissing.

If I go any further, really...

It will be too hard to leave when the time comes.

Erpa's kiss was long and deep.

I could feel Iomene, frozen stiff beside me, staring at us in shock.

After about thirty seconds of kissing,

Erpa pulled away from me, her face flushed.

"S-Saint…”

"...Erpa..."

"...Perhaps... perhaps..."

She stammered, fidgeting with her pocket.

What is it?

Do you have a condom in there?

Do they even have condoms in this era?

If it weren't for the Goddess, I would have been the one to initiate it, but right now, I had to draw a line.

I clenched my fists.

I can't go any further.

It's not like I'm impotent or anything. I'm perfectly healthy, and I've even modified myself to be like the protagonists in Toptoon…

[A/N: Early chapter content has been updated: Added a scene where the protagonist experiments on himself with the skills as soon as he gets them.]

[TL/N: Ah! I totally forgot that the Author changed the content of chapter 1. Nothing major if I recall correctly. Few changes related to his past and family situation. I'll fix chapter 1 soon. Stay tuned.]

To think I have to act like this...

"I'm sorry, but please leave for today, Erpa."

"Yes? B-But..."

"Iomene's treatment isn't finished yet."

Erpa looked disappointed at my words.

I felt like my heart was breaking.

I'm not impotent.

I want to do it too.

But I can't.

If I do, you will surely be unhappy because of my choice.

I don't want that.

Erpa deserved to be happy after all the hardships she had gone through.

It was right to push her away now.

Erpa lowered her head, her face filled with shame and embarrassment, then slowly stood up.

She left the room without a word.

After she left, I lowered my head, feeling sorry and depressed.

But before I could dwell on those emotions, Iomene grabbed my head.

I turned to look at her, and her face was filled with anger.

"Kiss."

She demanded firmly, like an order.

"Me too. Kiss."

She tried to pull my head towards her.

I hurriedly stopped her.

"Iomene, don't do this.”

"Kiss! Me too!"

She rarely raised her voice like that.

Seeing her practically pounce on me, I had to push her away.

"Y-You're still hurt! Mentally hurt! We can't do that while you're hurt!"

At my hurried words, she stopped trying to pull my head towards her.

"Not hurt?"

She asked with a serious look in her eyes.

"Not hurt! Kiss?"

I smiled awkwardly at her words.

Okay.

I'll kiss your forehead, Iomene.

"Okay, I'll do that."

"Promise?"

Iomene asked, still fuming.

"Promise."

As soon as her mind recovered, she would become a princess.

And the Saintess of the White Church.

I'll be completely gone by then, so we probably won't see each other again.

So I could give her a farewell kiss on the forehead before leaving.

You too, Iomene.

You have to live your life without me.

I thought about that and nodded.

"Promise.”