Claire was a saint affiliated with the church.
However, an ordinary ‘saint’ didn’t hold a strong position within the church.
To be precise, it’s more accurate to call them ‘candidates for high saints’ rather than actual saints.
There were plenty of other saints besides Claire.
“At that time, I should have chosen a high saint instead. I was afraid the story would get more complicated.”
Actually, I was not ‘officially’ close to the church.
The Tower of Magic kept pestering me to become the Master of the Tower in my home ground.
The royal family was even more eager to recruit me.
Honestly, the church… wasn’t really a place I was closely connected with.
The money I had given… rather, the donations I had made to the church were quite substantial.
“Connections are everything.”
The Tower of Magic and the church were bound to clash because of their different ideologies.
However, money tended to transcend religions wherever you went.
I had shown my sincerity to the church with hard-earned money.
Thanks to that, the church was quite favorable towards me.
Additionally, the fact that I studied theology, unlike other wizards, had been positively received by them.
It’s not a bad thing for them either.
If they had ties with a wizard who was called the future Master of the Tower, they could use it someday.
Perhaps the church wanted me to become the Master of the Tower even more than the Tower itself.
“I don’t particularly dislike the church.”
The animosity between the church and the Tower of Magic was more traditional than practical.
The closest analogy would be the rivalry between Korea University and Yonsei University.
It’s more serious because their interests were at stake.
But I was not originally from here, and my master didn’t belong to any faction either.
Since I was a player in this game, I had an interest in the world and the Goddess.
There’s no reason for me to be hostile to the church.
“Above all, the current high saint of the church is incredibly beautiful.”
Emilia, the current high saint.
She was one of the main heroines of this game.
And wasn’t it common knowledge that saints had alluring bodies?
She boasted an overwhelmingly attractive appearance and figure.
Every time we meet, my body got excited first.
“It’s been a while, Hyun-woo.”
“It’s an honor to see you again, Lady Saint.”
With a faint smile, the golden-haired saint greeted me.
She had a charm that captured people’s attention every time they saw her.
Not only her beautiful appearance and voice but also her ridiculously lewd chest and hips.
‘Her body is truly mesmerizing.’
Those voluptuous hips, accentuated even through the thin, white fabric, were truly captivating.
No matter how many times I saw it, I couldn’t help but admire her body.
Even though her whole body was tightly wrapped in cloth, she could not hide her distinctly feminine curves.
Her hips alone could probably seduce a man better than most succubi.
Just a slight sway from behind would probably make nonexistent faith rise.
‘Thinking like this about the high saint, if the Goddess knew, I’d have no excuse if she struck me with lightning.’
She was a true saint, incomparable to a fake saint like Claire.
The fact that she was an innocent body that knew nothing of men made her seem even more lewd.
Honestly, I wanted to grab those voluptuous hips and make her moan in a sweet voice.
‘Well, no matter how much I want to, I can’t do that.’
Even if she was young, she was still the head of an organization.
Moreover, she was a saint who valued purity more than anything.
Attacking her would mean losing all support and being chased out of the country.
The royal family and the Tower of Magic would both turn their backs on me.
If I were to make a move, it would require thorough preparation.
Since I needed to focus on conquering Armeina first, she was a woman I couldn’t easily approach.
Unfortunately, I would have to be content with just admiring her alluring body.
“…Hyun-woo, you always stare at me like that.”
“Lady Saint is so beautiful that I do it unconsciously.”
“Fufu, there you go again. I’m fine with it, but saying such things to other women with that face might cause misunderstandings.”
We continued our conversation, complimenting each other moderately.
Even though I came here as if eating cake at a cafe… the saint was not someone easy to meet.
Even for me, it required quite a lot of investment and effort to have a one-on-one meeting.
The special situation allowed us to meet immediately this time.
“Honestly, I was surprised. You are a famous person sought by the entire country now, Hyun-woo.”
“I needed some rest and stability for a while. Oh, thank you for keeping our meeting a secret today.”
“As a saint, I can’t refuse such a request.”
After sharing some stories about the world, I brought up the real reason I came here.
“It’s unfortunate about the hero. I didn’t expect such a thing to happen in my absence.”
“No, I think it was more difficult for you. I heard you were close friends with him.”
“We were… in the past. But as you know, I was exiled first. I no longer have the same feelings as before.”
I drew a clear line regarding Leon.
Emilia was speaking to me not as a merciful saint, but as a representative of the church.
In that case, it might be better to speak honestly.
The church wouldn’t be favorable to Leon either.
“Oh… I didn’t expect that. I thought you, as a wizard, had a broad perspective to pray to the Goddess. Even you have…”
“I guess I am just a mere human, not a merciful Goddess. I can’t hold good feelings towards someone who betrayed me first.”
I gave a bitter smile.
I had always acted towards her, but these words were sincere.
“Are you disappointed in me?”
“……No, not at all. You are a victim, Hyun-woo. We know that.”
Yes, most people saw it that way.
The incompetent and foolish hero, out of jealousy, drove away his great wizard friend.
Afterwards, rumors spread that Leon abandoned his comrades and fled, branding him as the worst or a traitor.
…It’s ironic that most of it was true.
Of course, almost no one knew what happened to the wizard afterwards.
The saint sighed deeply.
“It’s just a pity. With the hero gone, the citizens will be in chaos.”
“Yes, without the hero, the demons will become more rampant. This is a time when everyone should unite to restore order.”
“I would want nothing more than that. But given our position…”
“I came here to solve that problem.”
I came to the church to receive something today.
A kind of transaction. I had enough cards in hand.
So, I decided to present what they wanted first.
“As you know, I have some influence with the royal family and the Tower of Magic. If I speak well… I think I can resolve the misunderstandings the church has due to the hero.”
Actually, it’s more about misunderstandings, and the solution was ultimately to blame everything on the already ruined Hero Party.
Explaining this in detail to the merciful saint was not sexy.
“We would be glad to, but… you, Hyun-woo, will do it yourself?”
“Yes, it’s something only I can do.”
“Hmm… but it won’t be for free, right?”
“Oh dear, it makes me a bit sad to hear you interpret my goodwill like that.”
“Well, you’ve always been thorough in your calculations. I get nagged every day to learn from you.”
“That doesn’t sound like a compliment. I can never attain the kind of virtue the Lady Saint has.”
Emilia gave me a beautiful smile at my words.
“Of course, I have my own desires. But I believe the church will also welcome it.”
“What could the greatest genius wizard want from a church with nothing?”
“Recently, you’ve been troubled with handling Claire’s situation, haven’t you?”
Emilia’s face visibly darkened at my words.
“To be honest… yes. There’s been a lot of talk even among us.”
Claire was already considered a major sinner by the church.
She dared to sully her name by committing acts akin to a prostitute as a saint.
Moreover, she dragged the hero into the church’s affairs, weakening their political position.
From the church’s perspective, they lost favor with the royal family and gained nothing.
If the outcome had been good, all would be forgiven, but this time the result was the worst.
Now, even the hero had no value.
Claire’s expulsion was almost certain.
But that’s not enough.
To restore relations with the royal family, significant punishment was necessary, even if just for show.
“Otherwise, there will be a lot of talk if something similar happens again.”
Truthfully, they would want to hang that troublemaker upside down and burn her at the stake.
Execution would be the lenient option.
However, the church could not simply do that.
They were supposed to represent the Goddess’s grace, even superficially.
“The doctrine emphasizes mercy and forgiveness. They can’t very well kill a former saint with their own hands.”
If they went too easy, the relationship with the royal family wouldn’t recover.
If they punished her too harshly, public opinion became a concern.
For the church, Claire’s existence was already a harm.
“I am her former comrade. If it’s okay, I would like to secure her custody.”
“Secure her… and what will you do then?”
“That falls within the realm of an adventurer and a wizard. It’s a bit inappropriate to discuss it with the Lady Saint directly.”
“Hmm…”
“But I promise to handle it in a way that won’t draw complaints from the royal family.”
In fact, the royal family might prefer it.
I would show them a live broadcast of her suffering unimaginably cruel treatment, something the church couldn’t even imagine.
They wouldn’t dare say the punishment was insufficient.
“The church is just caught in the middle by bad luck. Isn’t it a good proposal? I’m removing the root cause and the solution of the problem at once.”
“That’s… certainly true, but…”
Emilia hesitated, glancing at me.
She was different from the naive women of Armeina.
Her rank as a saint was high, and she had ears everywhere.
In a world filled with dirty power struggles.
She could probably guess what Claire’s future held.
‘Well, even her imagination can’t conceive a tenth of what I would do.’
After a moment, Emilia sighed deeply.
“This is not something I can decide alone. May I discuss it with others and get back to you?”
“Of course. I’ll wait as long as you need.”
Emilia stood up.
She said she would consult others, but honestly, I already knew the outcome.
The merciful saint might find it hard to abandon Claire.
But would others do the same?
The church’s anger at having their faith insulted was immense.
Emilia was kind, but she couldn’t ignore everyone else’s opinions.
Most importantly, this wouldn’t set a proper example.
Eventually, their decision would lead to Claire being abandoned.
In return, I only needed to say a few words to the royal family and the Tower of Magic.
I didn’t wish for this chaos either.
The current situation slightly favored the Demon King.
I couldn’t comfortably enjoy women like this.
“Unity for all. The true hero will handle that.”
Currently, Emilia, as a high saint, was attending the academy for education.
The true hero she would meet there was incomparable to Leon.
With the hero’s charisma, he could unite everyone even in this situation.
There’s no need for me to step in.
‘Save the world yourselves. I’ll enjoy my harem life with my women.’
This transaction was for that ending.
Seeing Emilia return with a bitter expression.
I was confident that I had secured what I wanted.