This Wasn’t an Erotic Game?

Chapter 4
This is good, right?
『 Translator – Divinity 』

Wait, I thought it was Time Stop! Shouldn’t I be the only one able to move while everyone else is frozen?

This isn’t the Time Stop I know!

I groaned and tried to move, but my body remained frozen solid, refusing to budge.

After struggling for about 30 minutes within the stopped time, I finally managed to take a single step forward.

How did I do it, you ask?

It was the result of a tedious, frustrating, and mentally exhausting process: designating a small area around my body and the space I wanted to move into, releasing Time Stop in that area, moving forward, and then reapplying Time Stop to the area where it had been released.

Why is this skill so complicated?!

The control is ridiculously difficult!

It seemed like I would need a tremendous amount of practice to handle Time Stop at the level shown on those tear-jerking websites.

It won’t even let me take a break and come back.

Life really is…

Shitty.

I sighed and released Time Stop.

“Saint!! Saint!!”

“My son is sick! Saint! Please!”

The cries of the sick and the poor echoed like a chorus.

The saint is going to die at this rate, people!

Let me rest a bit!

Just as I was contemplating whether to yell and try to shake them off…

“Get out of the way!! Get out of the way, you filthy things!”

With a roar, a group of people pushed through the crowd that had been swarming around me and approached.

The symbol of a flame clearly engraved on their chests.

They were priests from the Sun Church, who worshiped the Sun God Lopers.

I had heard of the Sun Church.

They believed that social status and wealth were bestowed by God.

Naturally, they believed that the poor and lowly were in their state because they were cursed by God.

They, like the Lilia Church, were also in the business of healing for money, but they existed solely for the wealthy upper class.

If they were doctors, they would be the ones running a VVIP-only hospital.

Seeing the priests of the Sun Church appear, accompanied by paladins in plate armor and swords, and police armed with pistols and batons, the poor people hesitated and parted like the Red Sea in Moses’ miracle.

The leader, a muscular hulk of a man who was hard to distinguish between a priest and a bear, stomped towards me.

“The Healing Saint. You’re the saint sent by the Goddess Lilia, aren’t you?”

I’m freaking terrified!

I’m fucking terrified!

I never even mentioned the name of the Goddess Lilia!! Why the hell has this suddenly turned into a situation where I’m impersonating a saint of a specific religious sect?!

This is a goddamn inescapable trap.

There’s no choice.

It’s time to push forward with the character I’ve created.

I straightened my back, fixed my gaze as righteously as possible, and looked directly at the musclehead.

“I do not belong to any religious sect.”

Impersonating an unregistered illegal magic user was punishable by hanging, but impersonating a saint sent by a god of a specific sect was punishable by burning at the stake. So I had no choice but to answer this way.

But it seemed this answer was also a mistake.

“So you don’t even serve God? Then where does your power come from? Are you a mage?”

At the mention of the word “mage,” I saw the paladins and police behind him subtly place their hands on their weapons.

Unregistered illegal magic users are hanged.

Unregistered illegal magic users are hanged.

Even in the face of fear that made me want to piss myself if I relaxed for even a moment, I tried to appear as composed as possible.

Vague words, just vaguely saintly words to smooth things over.

It was best not to say anything that could be used against me.

Vague words…

“I am merely one who serves the lowly.”

Alright! I managed to vaguely smooth things over!!

At my words, the poor people around me who were watching me began to murmur and then started to speak up.

“He healed us!!”

“You filthy businessmen who chase after the rich! Why are you here if you’re not going to heal us!!”

“Don’t interfere and get out!! My son is sick! He needs to be healed!!”

At the voices of the poor, the priest of the Sun Church let out a booming shout.

“Shut up! You filthy things!”

His voice was filled with divine power.

He must have used some kind of magic or miracle.

Otherwise, it was impossible for a human to make such a sound.

Frozen by that volume at point-blank range, I couldn’t move a muscle, but the priest seemed to misinterpret it.

“You’ve got guts. You’re either a great con man or a real saint. Seeing as you’re not even flinching.”

I was still frozen stiff and couldn’t answer.

The priest burst into laughter at my appearance.

He looked around at the poor people.

“And the same goes for you! Look at yourselves, swarming like locusts and cockroaches at the appearance of a saint, begging for healing without paying a single penny! How are you any different from animals? The Sun Church has always been open to you! We only require a small fee!”

“That fee is outrageously expensive!”

“If you want to live, can’t you even earn that much? Is your desire to live that cheap?! You are shadows! Beings who haven’t received the grace of the sun!! There’s a reason why Lord Lopers abandoned you!”

Although they were indignant, the poor people didn’t dare step forward, fearing the paladins’ swords and the police officers’ pistols.

Despite his grandstanding, the true meaning of his words was that he was annoyed that I was sweeping up all the potential customers in their territory, wasn’t it?

It was obvious that this musclehead would try to crush me by any means necessary, for the sake of the Sun Church’s prosperity.

After all, it’s common practice to crush competitors while they’re still sprouts.

What should I do?

Should I bow down right now and confess that everything was a lie, that I put on this show to prevent the end of the world?

No.

Then I would be hanged immediately.

So what should I do?

If bowing down wouldn’t solve the problem, then I had to be even more brazen. That was the conclusion I reached.

Therefore, it seemed necessary to take a stronger stance here.

“You tell those who were born with disabilities and are battered by their environment and the world to earn money? That’s like telling someone who can’t walk to run!”

When I shouted back, the priest of the Sun Church looked a bit surprised.

Good.

It’s working.

Keep pushing!

I must avoid being hanged at all costs!

“Who are you to belittle their will to live as cheap?! They are not cheap! I merely brought those who were robbed of even the right to stand at the starting line back to that starting line!! You, who insult human life and the will to live, are the cheap one!”

To be honest, I didn’t even know what I was saying anymore.

I was just letting the words flow out of my mouth.

It was closer to an unconscious outpouring.

Inside, I was terrified of being hanged and felt like I was about to piss myself.

Tears even welled up in my eyes because I was scared the musclehead would hit me.

“No matter what you say! No matter what those police officers and paladins do to me! I will not stop bringing the weak and wounded back to the starting line! Because that is the mission bestowed upon me!!”

As I finished speaking, tears streaming down my face and unsure of what I had even said, I suddenly felt an immense pressure behind me.

I could sense the poor people glaring at the priest of the Sun Church with fierce expressions.

“Don’t harm the Saint!!”

“He is a miracle worker!!”

“He’s not a fraud!!”

The beggar I had healed first jumped out and further fueled the crowd’s emotions.

“Look! Look! He healed me! He touched me with God’s grace!! The boils that covered my body have disappeared, and my leg, twisted since birth, is now perfectly fine!! Can you still claim he’s not a saint after seeing this?!”

“He’s right!!”

The police and paladins faltered at the tremendous roar of the crowd.

The hulking priest of the Sun Church also seemed flustered.

“Quiet! Be quiet!”

He shouted again, loud enough to make my ears ring.

The poor people hesitated and backed away, but their eyes were still blazing with defiance.

The priest, realizing that shouting wasn’t working, seemed to think it was time for a change in strategy.

“Alright. Since you all revere this man as a saint, let’s put him to the test.”

The priest chuckled and spread his arms wide, then patted his chest.

“Do you know how to distinguish between a fraud and a true saint? A saint can perform multiple miracles. A fraud only knows a limited number of miracles because they only learn simple magic superficially.”

The priest looked at me with a sneer.

“If you are truly a saint, then perform a miracle other than healing on me! Perform a miracle that I and everyone here can believe in!!”

His eyes were cold, like a snake that had cornered its prey.

I could instinctively tell it was a trap.

Fuck.

Body Modification was naturally out of the question.

If I showed Body Modification again, they’d say, ‘See! He’s a fraud after all, he can only perform one miracle!’ and I’d be hanged.

Then… Sensitivity 3000x?

If that hulking priest suddenly climaxed, shouting, ‘I’m a male-failure sow who climaxes from fiery nipples! Ungyoooooooooot♥♥,’ the paladins behind him would immediately declare it an evil heretical sorcery and drag me away.

That’s also a hanging offense.

What about Absolute Hypnosis?

Hypnosis…

That’s a hanging offense too.

If that priest suddenly changed his tune and said, ‘Ah, he is a true saint. He manipulated the thoughts in my head,’ even I would think it seemed like some heretical sorcery.

Then all that’s left is…

Time Stop.

No choice then.

Bluffing! It’s all a bluff!

“So you don’t believe that I came for the lowly.”

“Do you even know how many frauds there are?”

“You’re not worried about me being a fraud. You’re just a merchant concerned about losing potential customers for the Sun Church.”

“Are you insulting the Sun Church right now?!”

The paladins erupted in anger and moved to draw their swords.

It would be foolish to make the entire Sun Church my enemy.

I hastily added,

“I’m not insulting the Sun Church or Lord Lopers. I’m merely saying that the man in front of me is filthy.”

The hulking priest let out a derisive laugh.

“You’re getting long-winded. Nothing is more empty than words. If you are truly a saint, prove it with a miracle!”

At his words, I raised my hand.

This was my plan.

When I first used Time Stop earlier, I realized that my skill allowed me to designate a specific area and apply Time Stop locally, then release it.

I would apply Time Stop only around the priest’s legs.

Then, after immobilizing him, I’d say, “See! You can’t move because you didn’t believe me!! It’s divine punishment!”

That was roughly the line I was planning to deliver.

Of course, I was worried because I had only used Time Stop once, so my control was terrible.

But I had to try.

If I bluffed this far and did nothing, hanging was guaranteed.

“Divine punishment upon the non-believer.”

After delivering a line that sounded somewhat impressive, I aimed for the hulking priest’s legs and applied Time Stop…

Wait a minute.

It shouldn’t be applied there!

I-I can’t control it!

My proficiency is low, so the control is… Oh, shit!

“Gah! Uuuugh! Uuuuugh!”

The hulking priest suddenly clutched his chest and started trembling.

“Ugh… Ugh… Ugh…”

He trembled for a moment, then collapsed, his heart seizing up.

I desperately tried to release Time Stop, but my panic only made the control worse.

“Priest Barduk! Priest Barduk!”

“Wake up!”

The paladins rushed to the priest’s side.

I was still frozen with my hand raised.

Please release it soon!! Please!

After 30 seconds, I finally managed to release the localized Time Stop on his heart.

“Cough! Hack!”

Seeing Priest Barduk gasp for air once more, the paladins drew their swords with menacing looks.

A white aura that seemed to burn enveloped their swords.

“This heretical fraud dares to impersonate a holy saint and try to kill a priest of the Sun Church?”

“We shall burn you at the stake!”

I’m screwed.

I froze again.

If the paladins took one more step towards me, I felt like I would piss myself, roll on the ground, and beg for my life.

And thankfully, the paladins didn’t take another step.

“Priest Barduk! Are you alright…!?”

Unlike the paladins who were about to arrest me, one of the paladins who was supporting the collapsed Barduk stopped mid-sentence.

And he wasn’t the only one.

Everyone, including me, all the poor people, and the police officers, were fixated on Barduk.

Why?

Because Barduk’s face had changed.

The muscular hulk was gone, and Barduk, whose body had suddenly shrunk, was now a thin, slender man who resembled a snake.

And on the man’s forehead, a clear inverted pentagram was drawn.

The man frantically touched his forehead and his face turned pale.

“A devil worshiper!”

One of the poor people shouted.

“A devil worshiper was disguising himself!”

This time, a police officer shouted.

The paladins also shouted.

“The inverted pentagram on his forehead!”

“The symbol of the Evil God!!”

“Arrest him!”

With a crash and a bang, the devil worshiper who had been disguised as Priest Barduk was arrested.

I just blinked my eyes wide, dumbfounded.

This is… good, right?