This Isn’t an E*otic Game?

Cecilia was banging her black club against the wall of the city.
The booming noise echoed loudly—but that was all.
There wasn’t the slightest change.

“There’s no way to escape from inside here. If I could just get out, I could do something… but that damn Bicorn set the barrier up so strongly…”
Looking exhausted, Cecilia tossed the black club aside and slumped down.
I helped support her.

“He didn’t hurt you, did he? That Bicorn bastard?”
“He put up the barrier and then entered my mental world. I thought he was going to attack, so I picked up a club that was lying nearby to get ready… but he just stared at me for a while and then left.”
“He just left?”

“He said, ‘Stay clean. Stay beautiful. That way, when I break you in front of the Saint, it’ll mean something.’ Then he walked off.”
So he’d planned to draw me into the mental realm all along.
And once I was in, he intended to destroy Cecilia right in front of me.
A calculating bastard.

If a woman who was obviously in love with me crumbled right before my eyes because of me—yeah, chances are I wouldn’t have been able to handle it.
“So? How do we get out of here, Saint? Please tell me you’ve got a plan.”
At her question, I nodded.

“Let’s wait.”
“…Sorry?”
“If we wait, a way out will show itself. Don’t worry too much.”

“We just… wait?”
I nodded again.
“I handed over my Authority to Valram.”

“…What??”
“I had to. That was the only way to weaken him. Given the nature of the Grand Labyrinth, he won’t be able to hold out for long and will have no choice but to hand the ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) divinity back to me. His body’s already breaking down from the overload. The Authority will come back to me soon. Once it does, we break the barrier and escape.”
Cecilia stared at me for a moment… then nodded.

“If it’s the Saint’s plan, I know it’ll work. I believe in you. I believe you’ll save me again.”
“Thanks for believing in me. Judging from Valram’s state before I entered, it won’t be long now. Let’s just wait a bit.”
And with that, the conversation paused.

Cecilia and I looked at each other awkwardly, then sat down in silence.
Inside this vast mental realm.
Off in the distance, a radiant statue of me stood, beaming with a loving smile beneath a halo so dazzling it was almost oppressive. The sky above continued to tint itself more and more pink by the second.
For some reason…

I got the distinct feeling that the heart symbol carved into the chest of my enormous statue was glowing brighter and deeper by the moment.
“Th-the time feels so slow. Why is it taking so long?”
“The mental world flows differently from the outside. That’s probably why.”

“Haha… wow. It’s… hot in here.”
Silence returned again.
I had to think about it for a moment.

But in the end—
I had to speak.
“…Why do you like me?”

Cecilia covered her face with both hands.
Her earlobes were visibly red.
“Wouldn’t it be stranger not to like the person who saved me, Saint?”

“Since when?”
“Since the day you saved me. I used to think my dad was the coolest man in the world, but then I realized there was someone even cooler. You saved a crumbling family—mine—just for my sake. You gave my father another chance. It was you. Ever since then… I thought I’d spend my whole life repaying that.”
It had been a hellishly long stretch of time.

Waiting for Kon and Kardak to finish their battle.
Waiting for Valram to return the Authority to me.
A span of time so long it made me wonder if that moment would ever actually come.

Just the two of us remained.
The silence was more embarrassing than calming. I needed to say something.
“Then why didn’t you just confess instead of staying quiet this whole time?”

“How could I?! You’re already surrounded by so many other women! And compared to them… I’m just too plain!”
Erfa—the literal genius who developed tri-elemental research.
Two Imperial Princesses.

Kanya—the Saintess of the Hero Order.
Come to think of it, yeah, none of them were exactly ‘normal.’ That much was clear.
“They all have amazing talents and are exceptional in their own way. And me… I’m just a woman who happens to have a lot of money. Not even mine—it’s my dad’s. I still have so much to learn at his side. I’m not even in a leadership position at the company. I’m just… nothing special.”

“I don’t think anyone in their right mind would call the woman who instantly pulled off a slum redevelopment project ‘nothing special.’”
“I meant compared to Her Highness, or Erfa, or Kanya. I didn’t think I was qualified. I thought—once I’m better. Once I’m more competent. Once I’m someone worthy of standing next to you. Then… maybe I could confess. I never thought I’d get caught like this!”
I glanced back at the statue of me in the distance.

“…That’s way too idealized. I’m not that good-looking.”
“Please don’t look!! When can we leave? Please, let’s go, Saint! I want to leave!!”
I might need to completely revise my impression of Cecilia.

Everything from the way she swiftly handled the slum redevelopment, to how she took charge here in Labyrinthos—
I’d always seen her as a cold, composed iron-hearted career woman.

Who knew she had this girlish, soft side?

“I’m a useless man, Cecilia.”
Cecilia, cheeks still red, looked up at me.
I smiled bitterly.

“Without Asmodeus, I can’t even save you from your own mind. That’s the kind of man I am. I’m not nearly as great as you think. I’m just some random guy who happened to end up with the Life Goddess’s Authority in his body.”
That was the truth.
I still didn’t think I was anything special.

I was just…
A strangely compatible vessel that happened to hold Asmodeus’s Authority well.
That’s all.

I hadn’t done anything by my own effort. I had no passion, no clear purpose. I just got tossed around by the current.
All I wanted was to escape.
To run away from everything.

I was a man crushed under the weight of burdens far too heavy for me to carry.
That’s who I was.
“When this is all over, I’m going to return the Life Goddess’s Authority to Lady Lilia. I’ll go back to being plain old Amayel. Just a normal human. One who can’t heal people. One who can’t fight demons. Helpless and ordinary again. So… if it turns out you like me because of this Authority—then I hope you won’t.”

Cecilia looked at me quietly.
“…You’re seriously the Saint.”
Was that disappointment?

I once heard someone say: women might tolerate a man with no ability, but never one without confidence.
But what could I do?
Being afraid of the Authority of Asmodeus was right.

It wasn’t something I could afford to feel confident about.
The moment I got confident—that’s when the fall would begin.
Still, it was such a painfully pathetic line that I got worried Cecilia might really be let down.

But what came next wasn’t reproach.
“It’s so goddamn hot.”
…Huh?

I looked up—and Cecilia was staring at me like a beast.
“What you just said… that was you declaring the greatest goal in Imperial history. You’re going to return the Life Goddess’s Authority to the Pantheon without falling into corruption? There’s nothing more noble than that!”
She grabbed my hand tightly.

“Even if you end up powerless. Even if you become nobody. A man who accomplishes something like that deserves to live a powerless life in peace. And I never fell for your Authority. I fell for who you are. What you do.”
Her intensity was overwhelming.
She slowly pulled my hand toward her chest.

“Even the Chief Angels fall to corruption under that Authority—and you’re still walking the righteous path with it in your soul. That’s what makes you special. Not the power. Not any of that. Whether you have Authority or not—you’re my Saint. Forever.”
“Th-thank you for saying that…”
Cecilia cupped my face, forcing our eyes to meet.

The look in her sparkling eyes could probably melt steel beams.
“I’m not beautiful like the Princesses. I have no power. I’m not a combat genius like Kanya. I’m not a magical prodigy like Erfa. But there is one thing I’ve got: money. I’ll make sure you never have to worry about money for the rest of your life. I’ll learn everything I can from my father and make Karma Company mine someday. So…”
“You want me to accept your heart?”

Cecilia nodded.
“Now that it’s out in the open, I want to be clear! Amayel!! Marry me!! I’ll make sure you never have to worry about a single coin for the rest of your life!!”
Why…

Why did Luphiel’s prophecy flash through my mind at that moment?
At the happiest moment… you will die at the hands of those who love you.
Is this it?

Is this what they meant by ‘death from happiness’?
Strangely enough, the thought made my fear disappear.
Lucifer and Valram were still rampaging outside, and Kon could be overpowered by Kardak at any moment—

But somehow, I had this strange certainty:
I wasn’t going to die now, because I was destined to die from being fucked to death.
Maybe this is what Luphiel meant when she said her prophecy would protect me.

“You’re going to suffer more in the future. Are you okay with that? You saw I haven’t even had a proper wedding with anyone yet, right?”
“I don’t care! It has to be you, no one else! Saint, we can get married after everything’s over! So give me an answer! Is it a no? Or yes?!”
I looked at her quietly—

Then let out a soft laugh.
Seriously, what the hell am I?
Why do women keep falling for a guy like me?

Well…
It’s not like I hate it.
“I’ll talk to Erfa, the Princesses, and Kanya. If they don’t beat me to death, I’ll do my best to love you.”

Before I could even finish speaking, Cecilia lunged at me.
A passionate, perfectly executed kiss followed—and when she pulled back, she looked me in the eye.
“Can I say something honest?”

“Yeah.”
“The moment we make it out of here—if we all get back in one piece—I’m gonna fuck you like a bitch in heat.”
“……”

“I’m going to do it a hundred times. You can heal your body with Divine Reconstruction, right?”

I held her tightly in my arms.
“Sure. However you want it, I’ll do it.”

I was happy.
To have so many women who truly loved me.
Still, that prophecy about my death—

Maybe “death by orgasm” was exactly right.
While Cecilia and I were wrapped in each other’s arms—
The mental realm’s barrier suddenly shattered.

I immediately shot to my feet.
“The barrier’s broken!”
Kon.

It might be Kon.
Cecilia reacted just as fast.
She grabbed the black club that had fallen to the ground.

“Let’s go! Let’s get out of here!”
She took my hand and we started running toward the rupture in the barrier.
But we didn’t get far.

We both came to a sudden stop.
[…Amayel. I’m sorry. I wasn’t the only one who got stronger.]
Covered in blood—

Kon was being dragged in, body broken and mangled.
The Bicorn, Kardak, looked a bit roughed up—but otherwise completely intact.
[Ah, perfect! Everyone’s here!]

Kardak shouted in joy.
[Amayel! How about it? That woman’s in love with you, isn’t she? Disgusting non-virgin bitch. I left her alone so I could rip her apart right in front of you. The mental damage hits harder when you die knowing love.]
At Kardak’s nod, Kon’s body floated up limply.

[Ughhhh……]
Kon groaned, and without thinking, my fists clenched.
“Put Kon down.”

[No can do. I’m going to fuck him now. I’ll show you how sweet a stallion’s scream is the first time he gets skewered. You’ll watch as his mind breaks to pieces. After that, it’s the woman beside you.]
A mad, sadistic smile twisted across Kardak’s face.
[It’s only a matter of time before your mind breaks, Saint. And then… it’ll be my turn. Not Valram. Not Lucifer. Me! You’re mine!! I’ll become the new Lucifer and rule over hell! Amayel!!]

Kardak neighed in ecstasy.
I’d never imagined a horse could wear such a repulsive expression.
“So you think you’re going to claim me?”

[That’s right.]
“You’re going to break my mind, make it yours, and play with it?”
[Exactly! That’s the plan!!]

“Sounds great. Immortality, right? Forever young body. Am I right? With the Life Goddess’s Authority in hand?”
[Yes! That’s it!]
Kon seemed to catch on to my intention, too.

[Hey hey. The fact that you want to fuck me so bad—guess you really do have a lot of unresolved hate for me, huh?]
[Of course I do! You disgusting bastard! You left a permanent scar on my pride. But it doesn’t matter anymore. You’ll be stuck living with your own unhealable wound now, too.]
[Oh no! I’m so scared I might cry! Please, be gentle!!]

Kon whined in a pathetic voice, and Kardak whinnied in smug delight.
Cecilia seemed to catch on, too.
“Wait!! Have you ever fucked a human woman before?”

[…What?]
“How about you try me first before going after Kon? Isn’t it proper to start with a female?”
[Filthy! Don’t speak to me, you soiled slut! I only fuck virgins! All stallions are virgins, of course!]

“Wow, incredible! How do you even tell who’s a virgin or not?”
[I can tell at a glance. Sluts stink. Their hearts. Their minds. Their bodies! Only those who are virgins in all three can receive my cock—]
Only then—

Finally—
Kardak seemed to realize it.
His expression went pale.

[Saint!! You fucking ba—!!]
“You said you could spot a non-virgin at a glance, didn’t you? Then let me ask just one thing, Kardak.”
I raised my hand and pointed behind him.

“That being behind you—virgin or not?”
Kardak slowly turned his head.
A massive figure loomed behind him.

An angel so vast that Kardak looked like a fly in comparison—quietly staring down at him.
“Villains always screw themselves by running their mouths.”
Familiar white chains wrapped into my right hand.

“Asmodeus.”
[Yes, my master.]
“That Bicorn. Seize him.”

Kardak screamed.
But Asmodeus was faster.
With her giant hand—

She grasped the Bicorn’s very soul.
It was a goddamn perfect entrance.