Ch.153153. Compassion

Saintess Gang Hannah.

What should I do to help this woman who has a high status but is needlessly pitiful?

“Saintess. May I ask you something?”

At this question, Gang Hannah tilted her head as if she’d heard something strange. As if wondering when I had ever asked for permission or advice before.

I wasn’t asking permission because I needed advice. Actually, I was planning to ask her a personal question for the first time.

I had thoroughly investigated her background when she was first summoned. Back then, I thought she might truly be a dangerous person.

But now my purpose was different.

“Um… yes. Ask me anything. Perhaps you have more questions about the luminous stones.”

“No, you can tell me about that later.”

“Then…?”

“Why do you want to remain in this world, Saintess?”

It was a question that could hurt her, having just barely adapted. But it was something I needed to address if I was going to look after Gang Hannah.

Why would she choose to stay after witnessing all kinds of madness in the Empire? Returning to her familiar world would seem like a better option.

“Well, as I told you before.”

“I know that you had to drop out of university without even attending after your father went to prison and left you with debt. I also know you lived in economic hardship. …But it doesn’t seem like you made this difficult decision simply because of money.”

“Is there anything more important than money? I think you would know that better than anyone, Hero.”

An awkward smile appeared on the Saintess’s face, but I wasn’t going to let it go. Though I had no intention of being forceful.

“…If money is truly the only issue, I’m willing to help you. How about standing on the summoning circle while wearing jewelry? If that doesn’t work, I’m even willing to have clothes made of gold for you to wear.”

“Haha… setting aside whether that’s possible, wouldn’t it be suspected as stolen goods?”

“It should be possible. You were wearing clothes when you came here, weren’t you? Surely the Goddess wouldn’t send you back naked. …Once you get back, you’ll find a way to dispose of them somehow.”

“……”

Only then did the Saintess seem to realize I wasn’t joking.

In reality, if she wished to return, I was more than willing to help her.

I don’t know how much debt she had, but returning with accessories made of diamonds and opals would surely help. After that, she could live happily in ‘Korea’ with all the benefits of advanced civilization.

‘If money is everything, she should accept. Or at least show some interest.’

But the Saintess didn’t respond to my offer.

Instead, she began to confess another reason why she couldn’t return. Though she hesitated briefly, finding it difficult to reveal her vulnerability.

“Hero. Actually, there was something I feared more than debt when I lived in Korea.”

“What was it?”

“People.”

“……”

The Saintess suddenly wore a sorrowful smile.

“Actually, my father took out loans in my name to fund his gambling. He forged my signature. My father was already in excessive debt, so he used me. I knew nothing about it until I was blindsided later.”

“…Please continue.”

“But that was relatively minor. He also borrowed money from friends and relatives with various excuses… Someone went bankrupt because of the trouble my father caused. The ones who demanded I repay the debts most harshly were close relatives.”

“……”

“After being intimidated by people banging on my door in the middle of the night a few times, life became hell. …Naturally, all my other relationships were severed too. And above all.”

“Above all, what? Take your time if it’s difficult.”

“There are too many people I don’t want to meet. And someday my father will be released from prison, right? No matter how hard I try, I won’t be able to escape that yoke.”

I can’t go back, Hero.

The Saintess pleaded with a trembling voice.

She even took a deep breath, as if something was welling up inside her. With slight exaggeration, it almost looked like she was begging, “Please don’t send me away.”

‘…Now I understand why she struggled so hard to adapt.’

The Saintess had nowhere to return to. She was even afraid of her father’s release from prison, the person who should have been closest to her.

It wasn’t simply that she was reluctant to return because she didn’t want to live as a lower-class member of society, nor was she staying because she had grown attached to the broken Empire.

The desire for a slightly better life, a meaningful life.

This seemed to be the extent of the Saintess’s wish. It was such a modest desire that it was rather surprising. If she had wished to enjoy lavish feasts and live in a splendid house, I would have granted it easily.

‘Is this woman really from the same country as Gwon Heejin…?’

After hearing her true feelings, I did have an idea of how to take care of the Saintess.

It was a way to soothe the loneliness and anxiety she must be feeling, and it would be beneficial for me too. It was something I needed to consider anyway, if only because of Ember.

‘If the Saintess herself refuses, there’s nothing I can do. It’s not something I can force at all.’

I would need to suggest it carefully, but if I approached it sincerely, the prospects didn’t seem too bleak.

“I’m sorry. You’re the one who needs help, Hero.”

The Saintess seemed to feel pity for me.

I wondered how many people in the Empire would feel sorry for me right now. I was feeling similar emotions toward the Saintess, so I wasn’t in a position to point it out.

I quietly looked down at the Saintess.

She suddenly seemed petite. I felt somewhat sorry for having only extracted sacred laws and knowledge from such a woman until now.

“I understand, Gang Hannah. Since you’re here, let’s have a meal together.”

“Yes… huh?”

Perhaps it was because I called her by name. The Saintess tilted her head again.

***

The meal with the Saintess was quite informative.

We didn’t just eat; I was able to learn several interesting pieces of information.

I heard exactly what “Ibiza Island” was—one of Gwon Heejin’s eccentric adventures—and I also learned that there are people who earn high incomes just by showing themselves eating food with a good appetite. I also heard that young men and women in Korea don’t have children.

As always, it was difficult to understand perfectly, but I could grasp the context.

I could vaguely understand why they turned a small island into a famous spot at the forefront of entertainment, and why people don’t have children in a country with such high average education and economic scale.

“You might find it strange that people don’t have children despite having sufficient means to support them.”

“No. I understand roughly. Countries that don’t have to worry about food have more complex dimensions of concerns. I heard the college enrollment rate is almost 80 percent—is that phenomenon somewhat related to that?”

“…Yes. In a way.”

Gang Hannah didn’t seem surprised at all. She probably spoke comfortably because she thought I wouldn’t just blink stupidly while listening to her stories.

Watching the Saintess munch on food carefully prepared by the imperial palace chef while chatting, I could catch my breath for a moment. When the Saintess told me about a Korean slang term (she said there was something called “nukhal-hyeop”), I couldn’t help but laugh.

‘This kind of time isn’t bad either.’

Of course, the peaceful time didn’t last long.

There were matters requiring my decision even at this moment. The deputy chamberlain assigned to me was hovering around with an anxious expression.

Eventually, as soon as the meal ended, I had to send the Saintess back to the church.

“Thank you so much for today, Hero.”

With a much lighter expression, the Saintess kept bowing her head to me as she turned to leave. I stood still and watched until she disappeared from sight.

Immediately afterward, the people waiting for me began to report.

“Your Majesty the Archduke. The crowd congestion at the imperial lottery sales offices is severe. A proposal to establish four additional sales offices has been submitted—would you approve it?”

A report that lottery tickets were selling too well.

“Thirty nobles and quasi-nobles from the southern border have jointly submitted a petition. They ask permission to recover your brother’s remains and establish a tomb.”

There was also a report about nobles desperately petitioning to recover remains.

They said a false rumor had spread throughout the southern border that I had shed tears and vowed bloody revenge when my brother died. It seemed like this needed to be resolved before a tomb as magnificent as one for the imperial family might be established.

I handled most of the matters on the spot.

However, there was one difficult problem that couldn’t be decided immediately.

“By the way, Your Majesty?”

“What?”

“The elderly imperial relatives are planning to gather in a week. According to a tip from a Grand Duke’s retainer, it seems they will discuss the matter of arranging a match between Your Majesty and a member of the imperial family. …It appears there are already candidates being mentioned.”

“……”

This was something even I couldn’t answer clearly.

I couldn’t stop the old imperial relatives from having a meeting. And I could understand why they were interested in my marriage.

‘They probably want to keep me under the imperial family’s influence.’

It was fortunate that the imperial princess born to the Second Empress was still young, but it would be equally difficult to reject a courtship from even a distant imperial relative.

However, I didn’t need to rack my brains trying to figure out how to politely refuse.

I could simply form a relationship with another woman before the imperial relatives made their move.

Considering my position, living as a single person was impossible anyway.

It was right to hurry, both to establish a stable foundation for governing the state and to take care of the women who had been stigmatized because of me.

And if there was one more purpose…

‘I’m human too, I need somewhere to find comfort.’

I may have given up on a comfortable life long ago, but I thought I could harbor this much desire. If I wielded power without any emotional attachment, I would eventually get tired. I might even reach a point where I couldn’t feel a sense of accomplishment even after achieving my goals.

If the object of my courtship was women who were trying to help me, I couldn’t ask for more. The fact that it was women, plural, could be a problem, but I was confident I could handle it.

After pondering a bit more,

It didn’t take long to firm up my decision.