episode_0004

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The group of warriors safely returned to the castle and were able to rest without any problems. Thanks to the king’s consideration, they were able to focus on recovering, and the revived members entered a specialized facility to receive treatment.

De Olli, a priestess of the Element Tribe who was mistaken for an elf by the warrior of another world and a natural race, and Lazelz Shell Myu Miocchi, a princess of the continent’s strongest nation and the kingdom of Merkirena, were belatedly subjected to the imprinting curse.

The princess’s sentiment was that it was okay for the warrior, but she waved it off, saying that she had never expected to hear a sincere apology from the wise man.

The priestess said, “I see. “” as usual, and expressed her feelings concisely.

So, after changing into comfortable clothes, before the meal. Just like he had done with the saint and the wise man before, the warrior was worried about the two, but these two also eased his worries with the same words as before.

After that, they decided to take some free time today to relieve their fatigue, but the group, excluding the warrior, decided to meet secretly among themselves.

Late at night, when most people had begun to fall asleep, maids patrolled the royal hallway with lanterns, but they did not stop Inyoung from passing by silently.

‘Knock knock knock’

“Come in.”

The owner of the room that hosted the secret meeting sat down at the table calmly.

“… Sorry I’m late, Princess Lazelz.”

The saint, who had been visiting cautiously, looked around and realized that she was the last one to enter.

“There’s no need to apologize like that, Kio-san. Everyone just arrived. Was there anything inconvenient about resting?”

“Yes? Oh no! It was really good. As expected of a royal palace, it was so luxurious that I couldn’t even think about feeling uncomfortable or anything like that!”

“Woohoohoo. Well then, that’s fortunate.”

The princess smiled faintly at the innocent answer to the social question.

Even though they are colleagues who have been together for a long time, they are clearly of a high status from a foreign country.

It was nice not having to be conscious of the difference between the outside and the inside or of political rhetoric.

Even though the wise man is still on guard.

Unlike the princess’s inner thoughts, the saintess wondered why they gathered together without the warriors, but if I had to think of something to point out, I thought it might be because they all had one thing in common: they were all women.

Looking back, it’s not like there never was a place like this.

“Sit comfortably. I have something important to tell you, so I have asked the princess for a secret meeting.”

“Ah, I understand, Lord Irona.”

The saintess met the eyes of the Elemental Priestess, who was leaning against the terrace wall with her arms crossed, and then sat down. It was funny to argue about which of the four chairs on each side of the round table was the best seat.

However, since her back was to the window where moonlight was shining, she guessed that this was probably a comfortable seat for the princess, but the saintess thought that the seat she was sitting in was the best position to rest and look out at the scenery outside.

“Here, drink, Miss Kio.”

“… Thank you.”

A light red tea that fills cups from a kettle with a ‘slurp’ sound on a quiet night.

The saintess was secretly surprised, not knowing that the princess would follow her in person.

Unlike when she was adventuring with the hero, here the princess has many servants at her disposal.

“Would you like to heat it up?”

Soon, the wise man sitting on the right raised his hand, and a small, warm sphere rose from his fingertips.

“Oh, it’s okay, Irona.”

Knowing that it was common to heat up cold food rather than burn it while camping, the saintess refused, saying that there was no need to do so.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to give up.”

If you allow it, I will immediately move my hand away.

“Excuse me, Mr. Ollie, is it okay if I don’t sit down?”

“No work.”

“Oh, yes… .”

Fearing that things would get awkward, I changed the topic to the Element Tribe priestess who was the main character in the empty seat, but I became even more embarrassed by the answer I got.

“Woohoohoo, the tea is getting cold. Come on in, Kio-san.”

But since that was her original personality, everyone just let it go, and before silence could settle, the princess urged her again.

“Thank you, Princess Lazelz.”

For a saint who had spent her entire life serving God, she had only learned enough of the nobles’ ceremonies to be considered impolite, so she felt a little uneasy. Still, she could not refuse the tea that was served to her with a smile, so she followed suit and timidly moistened her throat.

“Now that everyone is here, I don’t like the pretense of you human nobles, so I’ll get straight to the point.”

It wasn’t particularly tasty, but before I could even mention that the tea was delicious out of courtesy, the wise man opened his mouth.

“Saint, let me get to the point. I want to delay the warrior’s stay as much as possible.”

“Yes… ?”

The saintess took a moment to sort out what she had heard.

“Then the saint’s help is most urgent. Do you know what I’m talking about?”

It was a warning sign not only to the saintess but also to others, so they were prepared and cautious. The words of the wise man who was a member of the demon tribe but who had fought against the demon king’s army could be seen as the devil’s lackey finally revealing his true colors, but since he was a comrade who had defeated the demon king together with them, they did not immediately judge him to be an enemy.

“Are you saying that you want to delay Piruora’s awakening as much as possible?”

However, it is questionable whether she would intentionally suggest that the god she serves be kept in slumber. The saintess still lacks the insight to understand his intentions with her limited knowledge.

At least.

I didn’t think the wise man’s remarks were simply an extension of what had happened at the Demon King’s Castle.

“The gods we serve are different, but they are the impure desires of a mere creature.”

That’s similar to a wise man.

The farce with the saint was simply the tantrums of a teenage girl suppressed by a curse.

Was it because I noticed that strange gap in emotions?

Piruora is asleep, and now is the chance to cast a ripple on the cursed saint’s mind.

“Saint, do you know that the warrior has a sense of debt to us?”

The saintess, who was unaware of these secret plans, was able to figure out the sage’s intentions because she, too, had no other way for a warrior to stay on the continent.

Why would a servant of the God of Light try to make his master fall into a deeper sleep?

The saint was about to pray a prayer of reflection, reproaching herself for having even thought that way for a moment.

“… That must be because you are kind and affectionate.”

The saintess was reminded of the warrior who kept apologizing to those who were cursed by the words of the wise man, saying that it was his own fault.

“That’s right. It seems like he doesn’t want to give us affection because we’re about to break up, but since he’s so affectionate by nature, it was difficult for the warrior from the beginning.”

As the wise man said, the warrior was kind by nature, but he was drawing a line so as not to become friendly with them. They also knew that it would only be painful to be attached to someone who would leave after defeating the Demon King, but the fact that it was already too late to realize that made their hearts ache.

“I don’t want to use the heart of such a warrior. However, I don’t want to give up on the warrior.”

When I glanced at the princess at the wise man’s words, she nodded quietly, as if she agreed with the slightest hint of agreement. The saintess also had no choice but to acknowledge the fact that she had tried so hard to deny.

“The plan that the woman came up with was this: to prolong the warrior’s stay as much as possible and sleep with him to get pregnant.”

A wise man who continues the conversation even though the saint is struggling inside.

“Are you talking about Dodododongchim…?!”

Oh, pregnant!?

The saint was so surprised that she couldn’t even bring herself to say that she was pregnant.

“That’s right. Cook, it was too early to talk about it for a young saint.”

“Woohoohoo.”

“… .”

The princess smiled as if agreeing with the wise man’s words, and the Elemental priestess remained silent with her eyes closed.

“Oh, no! I know everything… !”

Suddenly, when he brought up the topic of cohabitation and pregnancy, the saint looked flustered. He tried to gossip to the wise man, who was smiling softly, saying, “”Maybe… .”,” but it didn’t seem to be of much use.

“Do you happen to know, Lord Irona, what curse we have?”

The sage suddenly became suspicious and raised the question of whether it was because of a curse. Even she, a saint, could not resist the curse cast by the Demon King and caused various shameful acts to the hero, so she asked, thinking that even a sage would not be free.

“Didn’t you say that all day long?”

However, the answer she received was in a tone that seemed so obvious. After hearing the contents of the curse, the saintess was once again certain of her true feelings toward the warrior.

And then I intentionally avoided it so as not to realize it later.

“… If that’s the case, then you must know that we are being bewitched by the curse cast by the Demon King.”

I confessed right before I started the operation to infiltrate the Demon King’s Castle, but I never thought my heart would be moved this much.

I didn’t know the difference between right before and right after being cursed could be this big.

This was not an illusion of his own, and the wise man could also tell that he was in a different state than usual.

“Cook-. Even though it’s called the imprint curse, isn’t it just a curse that causes desires to burst out?”

Despite all that, he looks like he doesn’t care.

Of course, his dignified demeanor was more majestic than usual.

” Then, can we think that it is God’s will?”

If this continues, I’ll just keep getting dragged around.

Even if they are adults who are older than you and have taught you for a long time, they are demons. If you are unable to do anything to such people and continue to be beaten, your reputation as a saint will be shabby.

“Saint, it is your wish too.”

“Smile-… … !”

At that moment, when she was thinking about it and wanted to make a small counterattack, the wise man saw through the saintess’s overwhelming desire to do so.

“Oh, child of the one who illuminates the world. Haven’t you been suffering from the hardships you’ve endured?”

“I…! As a descendant of Piruora, I never thought of it that way.”

The saintess hurriedly stood up and protested, denying that it was not true at all, but she did not know that this gesture was actually proving that it was not true.

Because he simply learned and practiced the path he must take as a servant of the God of Light.

“Serve God and become someone who is admired by all. As a seed of someone who illuminates the world, always keep a body and mind that are not caught in the darkness.”

“That’s! It’s a phrase that only Cardinal Lee knows, how…?”

What the wise man said was the first paragraph of the Code of the Saints, a manual of instruction exclusively for the saints, a rank that exists only once in each religion, like the Pope.

“This woman is a wise woman.”

The wise man’s answer, as always, whenever asked how he knew what.

“Saint, don’t you want to be held by the warrior?”

Just as she was about to say something to avoid being swayed, the wise man struck deep into the saint’s wish.

“I, I don’t have such shameless thoughts, I don’t… I don’t have any… .”

“Although you say that, I thought it was a witch who was acting like a spoiled brat to the hero in the Demon King’s Castle.”

“Are you a Yo-Yo-Yo-Nyeo?! Even if you are the Goddess of Irona, if you say something more irreverent, I, as a saint and servant of Piruora, will not tolerate it…!”

The table shook with a ‘thud!’ sound, forgetting that it was night, as I woke up in a panic.

“Ah… I’m sorry. Lady Irona, Princess Lazelz.”

He quickly realized his mistake and sat up straight.

“Woohoohoo, don’t tease Kio-chan too much.”

“Oh. The saintess is so cute that I guess I went a little too far.”

Although they were rivals over the love of the warrior, the fact that he was the youngest greatly affected the fact that the saintess only looked cute to them.

“Hey, were you kidding me?! Eww! If you were kidding me, that would be great… !”

However, the saintess could not bring herself to say that it was too much to the two who had been like older sisters to her, going through life and death together.

“But this is not a joke. I sincerely hope for the warrior’s child.”

One day, a wise man asked the warrior what his ideology was that made him do such things. Then I remembered that he answered that it was Confucianism.

Although the warrior only talked about the three bonds and five relationships in Confucianism, it seemed that he did not know the important details.

The word filial piety, which meant respecting adults and being good to one’s parents, was certainly a good thing, but it was difficult to say that the idea that a man and a woman should only marry one person was good for everyone in the party, including the wise man.

“That’s….”

That was probably the feeling the warrior felt because he already had a partner on Earth. If the warrior were single, he might have hoped to be able to get married even if it meant breaking his religious rules.

“That’s the same for me, Kio-san. If the warrior had no home on Earth, I would have continued to compete with the wise man, but given our current situation, even that would be a luxury.”

This was her determination to step down from her position as a saint, so being a princess was no different.

Moreover, the wise man must have created this place because there was a similar incident with the warriors of the past.

In the past, the wise man himself was a loser, so rather than being the same this time, he would rather negotiate so that no one loses.

“I am angry, but if you want to make a proper start, you must face reality first. That is why I want to create this opportunity. I fully understand that you, the saint, may feel uncomfortable and regretful for disobeying your master, but I hope that Your Majesty will be lenient about this deviation due to the hardships you have endured while serving your duties as a saint.”

As the title of wise man suggests, the sweet talk of the Demon Race is truly something else.

“You wouldn’t be so narrow-minded as to turn a blind eye to the minor missteps of a creature who has devoted everything for you since the moment of birth, right?”

Although he speaks politely, perhaps because he is a demon, it doesn’t sound like he is being spoken to directly, but rather like he is being sarcastic and sarcastically spoken.

“… That’s blasphemy.”

The saint felt that way inside.

“Allow us? Even if you, the saint, do not join us, we will continue to woo the warriors.”

It was a rebellious feeling that they were trying to persuade others, blinded by their own desires, when it was not enough to immediately awaken the God of Light and bring peace to the world. However, the saintess did not think that she was better than them.

I have already come to pray for reflection because I was thinking about such things.

“If Miss Kio doesn’t cooperate, the more time the warrior has to stay, the more aggressive the courtship will be.”

The princess added, looking at the hesitant saintess.

In common parlance, it means that if you don’t help us, we will work together without you.

As a saint who had only recently realized her affection for the warrior, it was a suggestion that she found difficult to make lightly.

“Hey, child of the one who illuminates the whole world. Isn’t it unfair to shoulder the karma of a mission? Ever since you recognized the structure of thoughts and memories, how hard have you been suppressing your desires to do so?”

“I am… !”

When the wise man who had been comforting her until now spoke with genuine pity for her, the saintess found it difficult to continue speaking.

Especially, the intention wavers even more as the end of the sentence is blurred by saying, “”Poor thing.””.

“Please don’t put me to the test, Lady Irona! Princess Lazelz, surely you don’t sincerely agree with Lady Irona’s opinion, do you…?”

The saintess asked the princess, resisting the urge to immediately agree and run into the warrior’s arms.

“Kio-san. It’s sad that I don’t receive the warrior’s favor, but I really want to feel even a little bit of it.”

“That, run… .”

I barely managed to control my anxious feelings.

“Ollini! What do you think, Ollini…?!”

The saint asked the Element Tribe priestess with a desperate heart.

Even if she had joined forces with them, she felt anxious that she would be left alone.

“… I just follow the trust.”

“Ahh… , yes?”

The answer from the Element Tribe priestess, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, was unexpectedly vague.

“Ollie? Weren’t you also someone who admired the warrior?”

The princess’s question, which she thought the priestess would join them. The saintess also had a puzzled expression on her face, as she knew that if the priestess agreed, she would also fall apart.

“There’s still too much to do… .”

However, the shaman’s face was too serious to show any sign of regret.

“Go back home.”

“Yes… ?”

“That’s what I came here to say.”

The priestess walked toward the door, wondering if she really came to say that.

“Why don’t you say hello to the warrior?”

Passing the princess and the wise man, he stopped at the question the princess asked him as he passed the saint.

“I tried to do that, but I don’t think you’ll allow it.”

The priestess looked back for a moment and met the princess’s eyes.

“Why do you think so, Miss Ollie? Even if you go back home, I think we’re still friends.”

“… Thanks for that.”

The conversation took a backseat to the saintess. The priestess gently placed a hand on the saintess’ shoulder and moved her feet again.

“Oh, is it okay for the priestess to just let the warrior leave?”

Hill gold

The Element Tribe priestess left without answering the wise man’s questions.

Hehe

But the wise man saw him turn around with a slight frown.

“That’s unexpected. I thought that Oli also had feelings for the warrior.”

The party member who I thought would naturally agree declared her withdrawal. No matter how blunt the priestess was, I thought that deep down she was no different from the princess.

“Weren’t the Element Tribe a race that had many conflicts with humans in the first place? Even if the warrior was summoned from another world, his essence was human. Although they acted together under the oracle, only she would know whether it was a difficult mission.”

The wise man met the saint’s eyes, citing external reasons as the reason why the priestess had left.

“Cook, but still, that steadfast one seems more like a believer than a saint.”

“Smile… .”

Since they were unable to reach an agreement and instead became divided, it was impossible to expect the same kindness as before.

“But without a mind of one’s own, one is like a puppet.”

Without hiding his scorn towards the priestess who had gone out alone.

“Irona-nim. With my limited knowledge, I dare say that I don’t think that kind of attitude is good.”

Even though it was still a two-on-one match, the priestess, with whom she had felt a sense of kinship, now felt uncomfortable with the sage who had been teaching her as she revealed her firm beliefs.

“A vague thing. I know that you’ve been letting out your desires on the warrior until we wake up.”

“That, that’s…! It’s because it’s a curse…!”

Even so, it was still difficult for the saint to handle the wise man’s words.

All he does is suddenly feel embarrassed and hurriedly make excuses to the wise man who reminds him of his shameful actions.

“So you’re using that curse as an excuse to be with the warrior more? Saintess, you’re still young, but you’re not that stupid, are you? If you’re going to act noble, I recommend you leave for a place that needs rescue right away. The warrior doesn’t need our help anymore. ”

“That’s right, Kio. The warrior doesn’t need us anymore. We need the warrior… .”

“Aww… .”

Now that the Demon King has been destroyed and only his remnants remain, the words of the wise man and the princess were unfortunately true. It was clear that the remnants of the Demon King’s army were a threat to peace, but it was clear that even without a warrior, if given time, they could overcome it.

“If the saintess had continued to hold onto her beliefs like a priestess, she wouldn’t have said such things. However, after the Demon King’s Castle, wasn’t the saintess’s appearance very human?”

“That’s…!”

A saint who finds it difficult to deny the wise man’s assertion. As the wise man said, she has been telling lies since she woke up.

In order to increase the amount of time she could spend alone with the hero, she lied to the hero she was in love with and left the party members who were asleep.

Even if you change the target from a party member to a goddess, wouldn’t it be the same?

The saint suddenly felt that way and had to push herself again.

“A girl who is so in love that she forgets her surroundings.”

“Smile… !”

“The woman even thought that the saint who acted without hesitation towards the warrior was being impudent.”

I was already feeling guilty and discouraged, but the wise man’s words that followed made me even more scared.

“Woohoohoo, Kio-san. You don’t have to hide your feelings. What’s wrong with liking the warrior and wanting to be together?”

“… Princess Lazelz.”

If the wise man was a whip to the saint, the princess was literally a carrot. She hesitated to accept something that was obvious from afar, but was persuaded right in front of her, so she hesitated to accept it even though she knew it was a temptation.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Miss Kio. Just be honest with yourself. I have a royal duty to look after the people, but I don’t want to do it while losing my true feelings.”

The wise man’s advice and the princess’s persuasion.

“Ah… .”

The priestess left, sticking to her convictions, but the saint realized that she lacked the priestess’s determination.

‘Drrr’

A body that had arisen apart from that. Despite the advice of the sage who was bold and the persuasion of the sweet princess, the saint felt hesitant.

“I won’t ask you to give me an answer right away. So, think about it carefully, Kio-san.”

Princess Hana misunderstood that the saintess was trying to turn back as she arose.

“That-, yeah… .”

If I continue to hesitate like this, my resolve will waver.

Although it wasn’t intentional, it seemed like a good idea to take some time alone to think things through, as the princess would have wanted.

“Saint, I hope you know that I did not put thorns in your words because I hate you.”

The fact that he has been active as the brains of the party all this time will not be tarnished by a single day of jealousy.

“Yes… of course, Irona.”

The saint was rather surprised to hear that the wise man had been jealous of her.

The princess who was listening from the side felt the same way.

“It’s late at night, but I hope you’re at peace.”

The saint made the sign of the cross to the wise man and the princess who had been watching her until she left, and then left.

“… Phew.”

And then the wise man sighed.

The Demon King summoned a hero from another world because he couldn’t handle the creatures of this world. Even so, it would be difficult for the person who became the comrade of such a hero to not be extraordinary.

If there is one thing they have in common, it is that they are held in high esteem by their own race as gods.

A former witch and one of the Four Heavenly Kings who rebelled against the Demon King, she is the daughter and master of the vampire dukedom, who is currently called the wise man of the continent.

The princess of the continent’s strongest nation and a magical princess knight of the lineage of the previous warriors.

A saint chosen by the god who watched over the continent until the end.

A priestess of the element tribe who is the guardian deity of the natural tree Dera, revered by the elements, and who receives oracles.

They were all of high status, so I felt a strange sense of kinship with them from the moment I first saw them.

Since giving orders is a natural duty, there is also an expectation that the loneliness and solitude that comes with it will be shared.

Even though they were rivals over the character of Yongsa, the time they spent together to defeat the Demon King was not a lie.

“Isn’t that wise?”

The princess was the first to speak after staring wearily at the door through which the saint had left.

“Did the princess see it that way too? Looks like she was really excited too.”

The wise man answered without looking at the princess, who was looking at him with a faint smile. His unfocused eyes were filled with many thoughts.

“The princess is truly amazing. Even as I continue to speak, I am overcome with desire and want to be held in the warrior’s arms… .”

Only then does the wise man meet the princess’s eyes.

“I’m barely holding back. If you think about it that way, I think Ms. Ollie is really amazing.”

“Indeed, the Demon King’s curse is a curse.”

It seemed clear that he was responding to the princess’s words, but the sage’s eyes were still looking into space.

“What on earth is a wise man? Even a woman who has lived for quite some time is just a fool in front of love.”

He keeps talking to himself to discipline himself.

“But you don’t call yourself a girl?”

“It’s noisy!”

“Uh-huh.”

Even though he raised his voice, the gloomy atmosphere became lighter as if he didn’t mind the joke.

“… When the wise man tried to restrain me, I honestly didn’t like it, but now that we have the same intention and understand each other, the sadness I felt before seems to have disappeared.”

“That’s it. I feel sorry for the girl.”

When the saintess returned to her room to ponder, the two were able to vent their pent-up feelings in this way.

“Hey, the floor is a little cracked.”

“Oh my? Miss Kio is also here.”

The floor was hollow and cracked under the table pillar. The table that the saintess had hit earlier in a fit of anger was not strong enough for its intended purpose, so it was fine, but the floor was not like that.

“Looking at the materials, it doesn’t seem like it was built dry.”

“That’s right. I need to teach Kio-san how to control his strength sometime.”

“Cook. Isn’t it fortunate that it didn’t collapse?”

“The kingdom wasn’t built that poorly.”

The princess’s lair has a simple interior. Most of the items are durable enough not to break easily, and the castle itself is designed to be sturdy enough to accommodate the bloodline of warriors.

“I will fix this much for you.”

Watching the hand movements that even drew a magic circle in the air, I wondered how he could fix it, but the princess was startled when the floor was restored to its original state right away. The princess was introduced to the warrior as a magic princess knight, but even a princess with such magical abilities could not help but feel awe at the skill of the sage who had reached a level that was difficult to approach.

Maybe this is why they used time travel magic in a place like this.

Anyway, I don’t know if this was an extension of the fight or if he used this magic to handle it cleanly, but since we were officially cooperating, I decided to stop even the slightest bit of restraint.

“Are you showing off your strength now?”

That’s why I was able to ask openly.

If you gossip behind someone’s back, it can be seen as sinister, but if you say it directly to their face, it can be seen as cleverness.

“What, it’s nothing to me.”

If it was really nothing, I could have just taken care of it with a snap of a finger, but looking at the magic power and process the sage had expended, it was really hard to believe. However, it wasn’t a bluff either.

“… Thank you very much.”

The princess was a little tired of the wise man who was acting like nothing happened while using time-travel magic, although she didn’t show it.