Ch.189IF. Saint Eric (5)

By now, the Empire must have surely collapsed. It should have collapsed.

Former Hero Gwon Heejin muttered blankly as he fumbled with the game controller using his only hand.

Perhaps he had spoken aloud, but it didn’t matter.

He was confined to a private room in a rehabilitation hospital where hardly anyone came and went except for medical staff and caregivers.

He had tried talking to his caregiver, who was old enough to be his uncle, out of sheer boredom, but the response was poor. The man just glared at him with distaste while feeding him.

A monotonous life without companionship or entertainment. There was nothing to do except stare blankly at the television all day.

The only time he felt any excitement was when his face appeared on broadcasts.

“Testimony of a Severed Hand – Why Won’t the Urban Legend End?”

About a month ago, he had watched a broadcast with such a title.

It was a program tracking down the criminal who had reduced his body to this state, and covering the troublemakers who claimed they would find this criminal.

Of course, it was nothing but nonsense far from the truth… but it was entertaining nonetheless.

Because random people were being framed as the culprits.

BJs whose careers as broadcasters had ended after participating in futures transaction fraud at Gwon Heejin’s instigation, investors who had lost money after being deceived into putting money into scam coins, and so on.

Though no one was actually punished, they all seemed to have suffered.

It didn’t improve his situation that they were being witch-hunted, but it was comforting. He thought it would be even more entertaining if some real trash got punished because of the public outcry.

“Idiots.”

…But the time of snickering and enjoying himself was brief. Soon after, Gwon Heejin would realize his miserable reality and become gloomy again.

This was something he repeated several times a day.

He would mock people in trouble, immediately become depressed upon realizing his own situation was more miserable than theirs, and then search for some source of hope again. Sometimes he would sob and lament his fate for no particular reason.

“Primitive bastards… fucking bitches.”

Recalling the torture he endured in the Papal State would make his limbs tingle and his breathing quicken.

One might say he could simply not think about it, but it wasn’t that easy. Even now, he would wake up from nightmares two or three times a week.

He couldn’t bear this hellish life where he couldn’t do anything on his own and even struggled to fall asleep.

There was only one thing Gwon Heejin, who had fallen to rock bottom, could do.

Curse the primitives from that other world who had reduced his body to a rag.

Among them, the one he particularly wanted to kill was Erick Wellesley.

At first, he hated the clergy who had carried out the cruel torture (he still couldn’t forget the priests who gleefully waved his severed body parts in front of him), but as time passed, he increasingly thought Erick Wellesley was the most vicious of them all.

‘I don’t care about the others, but I really hope that bastard is suffering… No, logically thinking, he must be dead by now.’

Gwon Heejin desperately racked his brain to convince himself that Erick was dead.

And he looked around, seeking someone to validate the scenario he had come up with. As luck would have it, the stoic male caregiver had just entered the room.

With no other options, he had no choice but to speak to him. Gwon Heejin made a sound like a groan to signal his presence and then addressed him.

“H-hey there.”

“What now?!”

“Why so angry… I just wanted to ask something. It’s an easy question, so even someone like you—no, that’s not what I meant to say… Anyway, let’s suppose this. Say there’s someone who committed a major fraud in a village.”

“……”

“This con artist took the money and spent it, but then villager A… oh, he’s not a victim, rather someone who benefited from it. Anyway, this villager A stepped up and caught the con artist. You understand so far, right?”

“…Sigh.”

The caregiver’s impassive face made it impossible to tell if he was even listening. Frustration welled up.

“But then this guy, you know? Out of some sense of justice or whatever, he disposed of the con artist however he wanted. Spent the money however he pleased! He even handed the criminal over to someone else without giving other villagers a chance to vent their anger.”

“……”

“Do you understand what I’m saying? Now here’s the main point. What do you think happened to villager A? Do you need a more detailed explanation?”

Having finally opened up, he couldn’t articulate as clearly as he wanted to.

But the caregiver probably understood. If he explained the actual truth, he’d be treated like a madman, so this was better. The caregiver probably wasn’t very bright given his job, but still…

“Hey.”

Huh?

The caregiver approached with a menacing expression. Though he wasn’t particularly burly or intimidating in appearance, he was too much for the weakened Gwon Heejin to handle.

Just being glared at like that made his heart pound anxiously.

“W-why suddenly?”

“Shut your fucking mouth, bitch. Do you think I’m your pushover because I wash your hair and feed you?”

“No.”

“Watch yourself. You dickless bastard.”

Dick, what?

Gwon Heejin stared at his face blankly, dumbfounded.

Shouldn’t someone who gets paid to do a job have better manners? Especially that last comment was devastating. It was true—he really didn’t have his manhood anymore, having lost it in the Papal State.

He wanted to call the man back and curse at him.

But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Somehow, it felt like he shouldn’t.

‘I just wanted to ask something.’

As Gwon Heejin was wallowing in his miserable state, he soon began to direct his hostility back toward Erick Wellesley. After all, even this humiliation stemmed from the brutal violence instigated by Erick Wellesley.

How wonderful it would be if he could see that bastard’s downfall.

Gwon Heejin muttered emptily, not even thinking to wipe away the tears streaming down his cheeks.

Perhaps because of the harsh words he’d heard, his groin was particularly painful today.

*

The Hero Hannah’s quarters within the imperial palace grounds.

“The Hero is pitiful. I’m not sure if I should say this.”

Ember whispered softly as she stroked the Hero’s hair, as if afraid of waking Hannah.

To use the word “pitiful” to describe the Hero, humanity’s guardian—of course, Ember wasn’t speaking out of regained vanity or arrogance. In fact, Hannah was lying with her head on Ember’s lap, wearing a truly miserable expression.

Just a moment ago, she had been rambling incoherently with tears in her eyes. And Ember had been the one comforting her.

“It’s okay, Ember. Let her rest like that if you’re not uncomfortable.”

Hannah wasn’t being childish while sober; it was mostly the alcohol’s influence.

We had been enjoying a modest drinking session for two hours already.

The drink the Hero had made by mixing carbonated water and distilled liquor… highball, was it? After a few glasses, Hannah had eventually displayed this undignified behavior (though cute) before falling asleep like that. The person who had defeated the Beast King had been defeated by alcohol.

“The expedition must have been very taxing. Perhaps she needed more time to prepare?”

“It has nothing to do with preparation. She’s someone who never experienced any real hardship during her time on Earth. I heard it was such a peaceful world that officials would respond even to a simple fistfight between commoners. Though situations varied by country.”

“It’s also strange that she wants to stay in the Empire even after defeating the Demon Lord. Has the Hero still not changed her mind?”

“If anything, she seems more determined. After going through all that hardship, she probably doesn’t want to return to Earth. I can guess the reason, but it’s better to refrain from commenting… We shouldn’t judge someone sleeping off alcohol, right?”

“I agree, Erick.”

Just as we reached an agreement, Hannah stirred with a soft moan.

Ember caressed Hannah’s shoulder with a benevolent smile.

If Hannah were to forcefully push her arm away in her drunken state, Ember would be shattered, yet she treated her like her own sister without any caution. Perhaps Ember was able to act so generously thanks to the alcohol as well.

In a way… Ember was sharing my role. Since becoming my assistant and commuting to the Hwangdo Diocese, had she unconsciously become gentler in nature?

“Thank you, Ember. Perhaps you’re even more of a support to Hannah than I am.”

“That’s a bit…”

“Of course, I can accommodate Hannah and give her advice, but it’s hard for me to comfort her affectionately. I could never soothe her like you’re doing now… I’m glad I introduced you to her.”

“I appreciate the kind words, Erick.”

“I’m not just saying that. If you don’t mind, I’d like you to continue looking after Hannah.”

“‘Looking after’ is a bit much, but I can at least be a companion to talk to. I’ll gladly do that, so don’t worry.”

In the end, she was saying she would help the Hero.

What I could give her in return was… well, actually quite a lot. If I wanted to, I could make Ember a baroness tomorrow. Or I could create a plausible justification to provide financial compensation using someone else’s money.

But for now, I showed my gratitude by refilling Ember’s empty glass.

“Thank you. Would Erick like another drink too?”

“I’ll have mine straight. It’s not really drinking unless you get drunk.”

It was a quiet moment of companionship, setting aside worries about tomorrow.

After enduring a rough expedition for weeks, including camping outdoors, it wasn’t bad to have time like this. Ember must have been exhausted too, fighting power struggles with nobles while I was away, so she needed a chance to relax.

So we drank and talked. We even indulged Hannah when she woke up looking for something sweet.

“We’ve had enough fun, so we should wrap this up.”

When I announced this, Ember gently shook Hannah awake.

And so our little feast came to an end.

…

Or so I thought.

‘Why are they here?’

When I briefly woke from sleep, I found Hannah and Ember each occupying one of my arms as they slept.

Thanks to my blessed body, the memories of the previous night quickly returned, but that didn’t diminish my rising bewilderment.

Eventually, the two beautiful women opened their eyes and stared at me blankly.

Even for me, who had experienced all sorts of bizarre situations, this was a somewhat embarrassing moment.