Chapter 105🔞ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

When Hexion opened his eyes, his surroundings were still dark.

It couldn’t be because the night was deep. Outside, there was no sound of leaves rustling in the wind or insects crying.

Hexion had experienced something similar to this before.

‘I can’t see colors.’

A monochrome landscape. The world always looked like this when Shin Joo wasn’t around. A space where no living beings existed. It felt like a stage set prepared for a play.

Rising from his seat, Hexion looked around. The mountain of liquor bottles that had been there before he collapsed had been neatly cleared away. Even the strong smell of alcohol was gone, though it didn’t seem like anyone had ventilated the room.

‘It’s as if unnecessary things were erased with an eraser.’

Unnecessary information gets deleted. Coincidentally, this always happened only when Shin Joo was absent.

Hexion didn’t find it strange, but he didn’t like it either. No matter how accustomed one becomes to something existing and then disappearing without a trace, one cannot overcome the instinctive aversion.

No, perhaps it was fear rather than aversion.

‘The Divine Master seems to have returned to her room.’

If so, there was no reason for him to remain in this place. Hexion left the prayer room without delay.

Then he encountered a tall figure and stopped in his tracks.

“…Admiral.”

“I see you’ve awakened.”

The Admiral stood before him, maintaining his perfect posture without the slightest slouch. The empty corridor was as quiet as if it had always been normal for no one to exist there.

“The guardian of the Divine Master should not neglect his duties by getting drunk.”

“…I made a mistake. I deeply regret my responsibility.”

Hexion answered perfunctorily.

Initially, he had started drinking to prevent Shin Joo from consuming hard liquor, but caught up in the competitive spirit of not wanting to lose to that demon, he eventually lost consciousness, so the Admiral’s criticism wasn’t wrong.

‘I thought the Divine Master was targeting the Admiral.’

If she had dragged the Admiral to her bedroom, he wouldn’t be here now.

Did the seduction fail, or did her heart change?

Hexion briefly hoped it was the latter, but quickly dismissed the thought.

He was concerned that the perceptive Admiral might notice his expression.

“How long have you been serving as the Divine Master’s guardian knight?”

“Seven years.”

Hexion answered without hesitation. Shin Joo first appeared at this temple when she was 17. He had been by her side as her guardian knight ever since.

That’s what was recorded in his memory.

“Not a short time.”

The Admiral nodded lightly and asked again.

“Then do you also know that the Divine Master had a lover?”

“…Pardon?”

Hexion reflexively asked back, then quickly closed his mouth and rolled his eyes.

The Divine Master’s lover. Who could that be referring to?

Hexion had been recognized as the Divine Master’s foremost guardian knight, but that didn’t seem appropriate to call a lover.

Then could he be referring to that demon?

Hexion’s jaw tightened as he felt a physiological discomfort.

“That demon is not the Divine Master’s lover.”

“Even the guardian knight doesn’t know.”

“Know what?”

“She said I resembled him.”

“…?”

With such contextually incomprehensible answers continuing, Hexion briefly checked if there was a problem with his comprehension. It didn’t seem like he had misheard.

“Admiral. I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“If you don’t understand, that’s fine. Revealing a woman’s past to others is also against etiquette.”

As the Admiral suddenly withdrew and retreated, Hexion stepped forward and blocked his path.

“Tell me, Admiral.”

“What insolent behavior is this?”

“The insolent one is you. You made testing remarks to me, the Divine Master’s foremost guardian knight.”

“….”

“Or did you bring up the Divine Master’s past out of mere curiosity?”

The Admiral’s brows narrowed. A displeased light flashed in his sharp eyes, then quickly faded.

“I made a mistake. I apologize.”

“No apology is necessary. I just want to know under what circumstances you said such things.”

“I told you. I cannot carelessly speak about the Divine Master’s private matters…”

“If there’s something about her that I, her foremost guardian knight, don’t know, I naturally cannot serve her properly.”

Hexion didn’t think he knew everything about Shin Joo. However, he was confident that he knew her better than anyone else.

He couldn’t tolerate others knowing information about her that he didn’t.

“She told me this story too, so if you ask her directly, she’ll tell you.”

“If you judged it was something you shouldn’t bring up, then it’s probably not something the Divine Master would willingly talk about.”

“….”

That was true. If it was something the Admiral was reluctant to discuss, there’s a high chance Shin Joo would find it unpleasant if asked directly. Or she might be hurt.

Hexion didn’t want to cause her any unpleasant experiences.

“Speak, Admiral.”

His tone was closer to a command than a request.

The Admiral’s expression hardened, but Hexion didn’t back down. He could act like a gentle lamb in front of Shin Joo, but there was no need to do so in front of others.

If necessary, Hexion could abandon chivalry and threaten the Admiral.

“I seem to have misjudged you.”

“It’s lamentable that the hero of the Holy City’s discernment is so limited.”

“Does the Divine Master know this side of you?”

“I’m not lacking enough in loyalty to make the one I serve sad.”

“…I thought you were a loyal servant, but you’re a treacherous one.”

“In the sense that I live to bring joy to the Divine Master, nothing has changed. I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“….”

Ha, the Admiral exhaled a sigh of exasperation.

Still seemingly reluctant, he frowned in contemplation before slowly opening his mouth.

“The Divine Master said she had a lover who resembled me, but they broke up.”

Shin Joo had always been in the temple under Hexion’s care. There was no way she could have had a lover he didn’t know about.

Moreover, since she said they broke up, it couldn’t be referring to that demon either.

Then, when and with whom?

“It seems she has returned after experiencing the world’s destruction once. This time, she asked for my help to prevent it from repeating.”

“Destruction…”

Hearing that word, a scene flashed in his mind. A cold space filled with darkness where he couldn’t even see himself. He remembered drifting there endlessly and calling out after hearing Shin Joo’s voice.

‘Shin Joo. Please stay with me…’

When was that memory from?

Hexion had been by Shin Joo’s side throughout all the past he remembered. There shouldn’t be any memories of wandering in darkness away from her.

‘Could it be that the world has already been destroyed once?’

Shin Joo is the savior of a dying world. As the representative of the god who created this world, it’s not strange for her to have “special abilities incomprehensible in the current dimension.”

For instance, the ability to reverse a timeline where the world was destroyed and return to the past before destruction.

‘I remember.’

I recall that when I met Shin Joo after she returned from being kidnapped to the demon’s residence, my heart reacted hotly with some strange ripple.

Perhaps the memory of wandering in darkness that I gained then was not a simple illusion but a memory of the destroyed world that I had forgotten.

If so.

‘Was I… the Divine Master’s lover?’

***

As Kaint was walking toward the priests’ quarters where his siblings stayed, he widened his eyes when he saw his eldest brother, Ken, standing by the main entrance.

“Ken, what’s the matter? It’s already past your bedtime.”

“Since you didn’t return until late at night, everyone was wondering if things were going well with the Divine Master, so I came out to wait.”

“…?”

Ken’s answer was strange.

If he had said he was worried because Kaint hadn’t returned late, or was curious if something had happened, that would be understandable.

But.

“Why is the Divine Master being mentioned?”

“Because the Divine Master seems to like you.”

Kaint’s lips pressed into a straight line. Knowing this was his brother’s reaction when perplexed, Ken approached with a curious smile.

“You’ve noticed too, haven’t you?”

“Well, the Divine Master did propose… no, don’t concern yourself with such absurd matters. It’s not something for you to be involved in.”

“Why isn’t it my concern? Because you never date, I can’t attract women either.”

“What?”

“I have my dignity as a younger brother, and I can’t get married before you.”

Ken is only fourteen years old. He’s talking about something that’s years too early. Kaint, unable to scold his precocious brother, awkwardly averted his gaze.

“Ken. The Divine Master and I don’t have that kind of relationship.”

“Is there absolutely no possibility of getting closer?”

“In the future… it might be somewhat similar.”

As Kaint hesitated and confessed, recalling the Divine Master’s proposal, Ken snapped his fingers.

“I knew it.”

“Knew what?”

“Brother, this opportunity won’t come twice, so you must seize it firmly.”

“What does that mean?”

“Kiara said so, too. No matter how handsome a man with ten dependents like you is, women don’t consider him as a marriage partner. Only the Divine Master can handle you, brother.”

“Where did you hear such…”

The Divine Master is not a marriage partner. To begin with, she has intimate relationships with other men, so she cannot marry Kaint. And he himself has never thought of such a woman as a marriage partner.

But Kaint found it difficult to correct Ken’s misunderstanding.

It was already awkward to reveal that he had received a proposal for a physical relationship from the Divine Master, let alone mention that she has relationships with other men.

Of course, historically, it’s not uncommon for those in power to pursue carnal desires, and all the men she’s involved with are unmarried, so there’s no legal issue.

But it’s not something he could explain to his brother Ken.

“You’re misunderstanding. There will be no intimate relationship with the Divine Master, so go to bed now.”

“I just want you to be happy, brother.”

“I’m happy enough just taking care of you all.”

“That’s only because you don’t know any other life. People change when placed in different situations they’ve never experienced before.”

“….”

“The Divine Master is an excellent person. Judging by her choosing you, she seems to have great discernment, too.”

What’s great is not her discernment but her libido.

…Unable to say such a thing, Kaint persuaded his brother appropriately and sent him back to his room.

Not realizing that his young brother was far more mature than him in some aspects.

‘My siblings like the Divine Master, so they probably want her and me to be together because they want her to become family.’

The Divine Master wasn’t a perfect person, but it’s not uncommon for children to idealize and admire great figures. Kaint found his siblings’ misunderstanding embarrassing, but he decided not to correct it as he had no intention of crushing their expectations and hopes.

‘With time, my siblings’ strange expectations will soon subside.’

Thinking this, Kaint headed to the small room prepared for him.

And he had a dream.

The Divine Master lay naked beside him.

“Admiral.”

“Divine Master?”

For some reason, Kaint was also naked. When he tried to back away in confusion, his back hit a wall. Seeing Kaint unable to grasp the situation, she chuckled and raised her body.

“Divine Master. Wait, I don’t understand what’s happening right now…”

“Can’t you tell by looking? What kind of situation this is.”

He knew. That’s why it was even more perplexing. Why were he and the Divine Master naked together on a bed barely big enough for two? Without even a blanket to cover himself, Kaint turned his head away and closed his eyes.

“Admiral. Why are you closing your eyes?”

“I cannot look at the Divine Master’s body.”

“Is it okay for me to look at your body then?”

Hearing her small giggle, both his ears burned, and Kaint squeezed his eyes shut.

“Please don’t look…”

“Showing your naked body so explicitly and then saying don’t look—you’re quite dishonest.”

“No! It’s not that I undressed…!”

Opening his eyes to refute out of indignation, Kaint found her face right in front of him. He swallowed his breath. Her face, smiling with narrowed eyes, was more enchanting than when he had glimpsed her at the demon’s residence.

A fair face with flushed cheeks. A slender neck below which lay straight collarbones and thin shoulders. And below that…

“How lewd.”

His gaze, which had inadvertently drifted to her chest, quickly turned aside. With a wall behind his back, there was nowhere to retreat. He wanted to push her away and escape, but he didn’t have the courage to touch her body, which didn’t have a single thread on it.

Unable to do anything, in this awkward situation, small lips approached Kaint’s ear and blew a warm breath.

“Why are you denying it? You want it too.”

“No. I never wanted this. Divine Master, please stop!”

“I don’t want to?”

“Ah, no… huk!”

A warm, soft piece of flesh settled on his thigh. Kaint looked in alarm at the woman boldly straddling his thigh, but unable to face her naked form, he turned his head away again.

“Why do you keep turning your head?”

“Divine Master, please…”

“Please what? Touch me?”

“Ah, ah!”

When slender fingers grasped his g*nitals, an exclamation escaped Kaint’s lips. Looking at her with surprised eyes, unable to believe what he had just uttered, she chuckled and kissed his chin.

“How cute.”

“…!”

Kaint couldn’t even protest and just opened and closed his mouth. The Divine Master’s body was much smaller and more delicate than his. He could easily escape by grabbing her waist, which wasn’t even a handful, and pushing her aside, yet he couldn’t move an inch, like a beast with a leash.

Why?

Because he couldn’t touch her naked body?

Or because the sensation of her touching his g*nitals was ecstatic?

“The Admiral is so lewd, I need to punish you.”

“Ah! W-what are you doing! Stop…”

“If you really want me to stop, you should push me away. Turning all red and panting like this makes me think you want more.”

“Divine Master, please. Stop. St…”

“Since you lied to me, it’s a heavier punishment.”

“I’ve never lied… kuhuk!”

When her white hand wrapped around his member and pulled it straight, his vision went white, and he felt dizzy as if all the blood was draining from his body.

Kaint *jaculated ridiculously quickly.

“See? You are lewd.”

“Hngh, haa…”

“Next time, be a bit more honest.”

In his hazy vision, he saw the Divine Master’s smiling face. Despite his head spinning with shame, strangely, her smiling face was so pretty that he couldn’t take his eyes off it.

“…Ah!”

Opening his eyes, he saw a pitch-black ceiling. Kaint, who had been breathing roughly, sat up abruptly and checked beside him.

There was no one.

That was natural, considering it was a cot barely large enough for one large person. To begin with, it would be nonsensical for someone to enter a room that wasn’t even a proper bedroom but just a temporary accommodation prepared for him.

‘Good heavens…’

Kaint touched his eyes.

Having a wet dream in the temple. And dreaming of the Divine Master at that!

‘It must be because of the Divine Master’s proposal that I had such an obscene dream. Not because I harbored lustful thoughts…’

Kaint wiped away the sweat flowing from his temple and touched the bed sheet. Confirming the empty space beside him, unlike before, he felt strangely empty.

‘Why?’

Clearly, when he had just awakened, he thought it was fortunate that the Divine Master wasn’t lying in his bed, so why did he now feel regretful that her smiling beside him was just a dream?

‘It’s because of that unreasonable proposal. The Divine Master’s proposal was so strange that it made my head go strange too. So that obscene…’

It wasn’t obscene.

‘Ah.’

She was beautiful in the dream. The white skin, the hair with a subtle pink hue that swayed lightly like waves, and the green eyes that smiled narrowly.

 

T/n: I was initially confused, as it really says pink there and not brown like on the novel cover. However, in the manhwa, she has completely pink hair, so I assume this isn’t an error by the author, but rather just the novel cover deviating in color.

 

The moment he faced her delicate naked form climbing onto his body, Kaint felt as if a fire had been lit in his stomach.

When those slender fingers grasped his g*nitals, truly…

“Oh no.”

Kaint frowned deeply upon seeing his p*nis *rect again.

He pulled the wet blanket over to cover his lower half and exhaled deeply. M*sturbating while imagining a woman who is neither a lover nor a wife is an obscene act. With such behavior, he couldn’t even use the excuse that it was because of a dream.

‘When day breaks, I’ll greet the Divine Master and return to the castle.’

Running away is not courteous. Having visited at the Divine Master’s invitation, it was right to see her face and bid farewell properly before leaving.

‘…No.’

No. The reason he wasn’t fleeing right now and was waiting for daybreak wasn’t to maintain courtesy.

He simply wanted to see the Divine Master’s face. Wanted to hear her voice.

Because that enchanting image from the dream wouldn’t fade away.

***

I couldn’t sleep a wink all night. Marvis, seemingly quite angry that I couldn’t give him a proper answer, left abruptly.

Ridiculously, his affection level rose to reach 10 before he left.

‘This is a big problem.’

If the world is destroyed and the characters meet their deaths the moment I log out, even after a happy ending, I can’t carelessly log out now.

‘Wouldn’t it work if I leave save data?’

The one save slot given to me. If I only knew how to use it, I could prevent this world’s end.

‘Damn it, explaining how to save is the most basic thing! Why doesn’t this cursed system even tell me that!’

Just as I angrily struck the bed, the door flung open and Hexion entered.

“Shin Joo. You called.”

“Hexion?”

Though I hadn’t called him, Hexion, looking perfectly fine without any hangover, walked briskly to me and knelt on one knee before me.

“There’s nothing to worry about, Shin Joo. I, Hexion, as your foremost guardian knight and lover, will never leave your side from now on.”

“Um… what?”

There was a rather unexpected word in what would otherwise be a normal greeting.

Suddenly calling himself a lover?