Ch.190IF. Saint Eric (Complete)

I slept with the Hero.

Of course, we didn’t just sleep.

*

“Saintess.”

Hannah looked at me with an embarrassed expression while covering her naked white body.

It was the kind of appearance a virgin untouched by anyone might show.

Unfortunately, however, she was no longer a virgin. It was because she had given it to me.

Though I did commit the act under the influence of alcohol, that’s no excuse. By the end, we made love with remarkably clear minds. Though unintentional, I even memorized the locations of the Hero’s moles (under the right armpit, left shoulder).

‘This is awkward.’

I had encountered romances between Heroes and Saintesses many times through books and songs.

However, those stories mostly dealt with pure love.

I had read stories about a Saintess who realizes her tender feelings for the Hero before the final battle with the Demon Lord after a long and harsh expedition to the Demonic Land, or about a Saintess who belatedly confesses her love to the Hero before his return to Earth.

But none of the stories I had encountered contained anything reminiscent of our current situation.

The neatly arranged wine bottles in one corner of the room, too many to believe that just three people had emptied them. It was enough to make even me curse.

The bedroom, disheveled to the point of embarrassment, with clear traces of intense lovemaking.

Finally, Ember holding her head and complaining of a hangover. She was also naked. I hadn’t just slept with her either.

And above all, the biggest problem was the location.

“Um, Saintess. This place is…”

“The Imperial Palace, yes.”

To be precise, it was the separate palace where Hannah had been staying since she was summoned.

Considering our status, we couldn’t drink at an ordinary tavern, nor could we drink at the Papal State’s office where I usually worked, so we chose this place.

Until last night, I really intended to just drink and end it there.

The realization that we had caused trouble hit me anew.

The Hero stared at the wall with her mouth half-open, and I could only offer a bitter smile. As for Ember, she was still weak from the alcohol.

After some silence had passed…

Ember was the first to take action.

“Whew, Erick? Can I, even now…”

“Try to leave the palace grounds after tidying up as if nothing happened? Of course you could try, but that would be even more dangerous. You know how many people reside in the palace. It’s impossible not to be noticed.”

“…”

“Just stay.”

At these words, Ember shook her head with a devastated expression.

It was refreshing to see a side of her I’d never seen before, but I didn’t want to tease her.

With her minor position as ‘Ceremonial Officer to the Saintess,’ it must be awkward to be caught in this situation. If this leaked out, it would be hard to face people. She might even be imagining herself becoming an object of ridicule.

I couldn’t say these were unfounded concerns. If we handled this stupidly, it really would become troublesome.

‘Ember isn’t the only one in a difficult position.’

Hannah’s situation wasn’t particularly good either.

The first female Hero in history, Gwon Heejin as the worst predecessor, and a tense political climate where half the nobility expressed distrust and hostility toward the Hero.

In this situation, causing trouble was undoubtedly awkward.

Seeing Hannah in distress, I felt compassion rising within me. The gathering I had arranged to comfort the Hero had instead cornered her.

“Hero, no, Hannah. I was careless. I apologize.”

“…Apologize? It’s not like you forced me, Saintess.”

“It wasn’t forced, true. Honestly, by the third time, it felt more like I was the one being taken. But considering your position, I should have acted more prudently instead of drinking and enjoying myself.”

“Thank you. Even if it’s just words.”

Hannah thanked me weakly and lowered her head.

Thanking me “even if it’s just words” probably meant she didn’t expect anything more.

Just then, there was a presence outside the quarters. Probably a servant.

If we remained dazed like this, we would likely become the laughingstock of society. Whether they would criticize the Saintess who slept with the Hero while including her former fiancée, or criticize the Hero who, like Gwon Heejin from the same world, displayed disorderly conduct, was unknown.

How to establish the relationship between the three of us was something to think about later.

First, I decided to establish a plan.

“Hannah, and Ember.”

“Yes…?”

“Let’s get our story straight. We didn’t hold a drinking party without reason; we made a political decision after careful deliberation… It was a very difficult decision, so we borrowed the power of alcohol, and because there were differences of opinion between the Hero and myself, the discussion continued until morning.”

“What difficult decision?”

“Let’s say we discussed how to deal with forces conspiring to disparage the achievements of the Hero’s party. We’ll spread a rumor that Ember, who was in the capital while we were away, detected suspicious movements and reported them to me.”

“…”

“Ah, Hannah. You can say you requested lenient measures, but ultimately couldn’t break my stubbornness and agreed to the purge.”

A proposal to announce a purge to cover up our night’s mistake.

The two beauties looked even more dumbfounded, but I didn’t care.

It’s not something to be proud of, a Saintess coming up with such an idea.

But it was better to issue a threat than to let the nobles talk as they pleased. Better to be feared than ridiculed.

“But won’t they eventually realize it was just a bluff? What then?”

“That won’t happen. I was planning to send a few people soon anyway. I heard that the former Count of Burko, who caused a disturbance at the victory ceremony, and his retainers haven’t come to their senses and are ruling tyrannically.”

“…”

Creating one subversive force was a simple matter.

After announcing a large-scale purge, if we stopped at sending just a couple of people, the nobles would actually be relieved. If we could send people we were going to send anyway while protecting the honor of the Hero, humanity’s guardian, and myself as her guide, it would be good for everyone.

“Please do as I say.”

This is for all three of us.

When I spoke firmly, the two finally nodded as if giving in.

We hurriedly dressed and roughly tidied up the messy room. I didn’t forget to use holy magic on Ember, who was still weak.

“Hero. May I enter?”

When the servant asked for permission and entered the quarters, we were sitting around with serious expressions. As if we had really been having a serious discussion.

…

…

Fortunately, we were able to prevent our reputations from hitting rock bottom.

But the fundamental problem remained unsolved. The fact that I had spent the night with two women hadn’t changed.

The memory was too intense to erase, and when I tried to act nonchalant and ignore it, the two women looked at me too shyly.

Hannah often lost concentration during training, and Ember quit wine.

‘I can’t live like this.’

If I were still an Academy student, I would have taken time to contemplate. Wondering how I could have both flowers in my hands.

But I had too much to do.

Completely subjugating the Beast King and his kin, training the Hero so she could march to the Demonic Land at any time, and deciding how to treat the succubi that Iclit had recruited without being asked—all these were my responsibilities.

In a situation where I could neither abandon my responsibilities nor hurt the two women…

Then there was only one path left.

As soon as I made my decision, I took action immediately.

I prepared the necessary conditions by communicating with the Papal State and the Imperial Family, and ordered rings from a skilled craftsman. I spared no expense. This wasn’t something to do half-heartedly.

And finally, the day of execution.

I sat face to face with the two women again. This time without alcohol.

“Saintess… no, Erick. If you’re doing this out of a sense of responsibility, I’d like to decline.”

That was what Hannah said after exchanging glances with Ember.

She probably meant there was no need to go to such lengths to take responsibility for one night’s mistake. It seemed they had guessed why I had called them.

A noble sentiment, but I shook my head.

“Of course I’m doing this out of responsibility, Hannah.”

“Erick…?”

“But to be honest, neither taking on the role of your mentor nor practically leading the Hero’s party were tasks I took on willingly. Considering that responsibility is a duty that comes with freedom, I’m in quite an unfair position.”

“…”

“…I still sometimes wonder. If we had brought Gwon Heejin to the capital instead of the Papal State, couldn’t I have lived more comfortably? Did my actions, taken to lessen my responsibilities, actually open a path of hardship? I can’t shake these thoughts.”

“Erick.”

“Compared to that, taking responsibility for you, Hannah, is a very willing act… The same goes for you, Ember. There’s no need to feel burdened.”

Neither receiving respect from the Pope nor avoiding the adoring gazes of believers whenever I visited the Papal State were things I wanted. Even less did I want to exert powerful influence throughout the continent as the goddess’s first servant.

Compared to that, being with two beautiful and kind women was rather a joy.

Though both women had their shadows, these weren’t flaws. Rather, they were advantages. The Empire is still a country where naive humans struggle to survive.

“Let’s live together.”

Perhaps they felt my sincerity. Hannah and Ember finally smiled and nodded.

I placed rings on the ring fingers of their left hands one by one, along with the announcement that we would first be engaged, and then hold the ceremony in the Papal State when the time was right.

The two women smiled brightly, and I too could feel happiness for once.

If I had to pair with someone, there were no more suitable partners in the world than these two.

A normal family… might be impossible, but a life where we care for and love each other, bearing and raising children who resemble us, would be possible.

That’s happiness enough, isn’t it?

It was a moment when I felt that my choice to send Gwon Heejin, that vicious bastard, back to Earth wasn’t necessarily wrong. I was happy now.