No Such Thing as a Chaste Man! Just Give It Ten Tries! - Chapter 44
But still…
‘Another’s embrace.’
It would be nothing like the times he had wrapped her in a blanket and soothed her with gentle pats on the back. Of course, Seo-ah had been an adult for several years now.
The moment that realization hit, a discomfort stirred in his chest.
‘Seo-ah is an adult…’
Until then, he had rarely thought about her gender or age. To him, she had always been a fragile, young soul he needed to protect—a being torn from her home, steeped in loneliness, someone who needed comfort. That was all.
So why now did his emotions feel so complicated?
Seo-ah was still Seo-ah.
Was it because her soul resonated with his sacred power?
Or was it simply because she was someone he had to protect?
For days, he couldn’t place a name on the unfamiliar feelings coursing through him. Then, after weeks of work, Ephelinus finally completed the reverse summoning ritual.
It happened on the day Seo-ah faced the final showdown with the Dragon of Despair.
Without delay, he traveled to the capital, intent on convincing the Senate, which held authority over Seo-ah’s fate.
“So, you’re saying you can send her back to her original world?”
“This sounds like a reward, doesn’t it?”
“I believe gold and jewels are universal currency in her world. Once we send her off with those, the natural laws of her world should take care of the rest.”
“Brilliant! If we frame it as honoring Genève’s savior and hold a grand ceremony, the free citizens will sing praises of the United Government!”
As expected, the very same officials who had disparaged Seo-ah as a barbarian or an ignorant woman eagerly accepted his proposal.
With the reports indicating the dragon’s defeat was imminent, they were eager to avoid the awkward reality of a foreign woman becoming a hero of Genève.
“Truly, your foresight befits the Crown Prince of the Holy Kingdom!”
“Sol’s light shines upon Genève, sweeping away even minor difficulties…”
The government officials, oblivious to Ephelinus’s true motives, welcomed him as a like-minded ally. Though their greedy gazes and sycophantic remarks sickened him to the core, he endured it all, knowing he had achieved his goal.
Seo-ah would be safe now.
Days turned into weeks, and eventually, the victorious expedition returned to the capital along the fastest, safest route.
“Your Holiness!”
And then…
“Didn’t you miss me? I searched everywhere during the parade but couldn’t find you! And you even sent others to deliver the ceremonial robes instead of coming yourself!”
After three and a half years, Seo-ah stood before him, dazzlingly radiant.
Her shoulder-length hair had grown long, tied into a high ponytail that swayed near her waist.
The grueling journey had slimmed her face, making her features even more striking, and her dark brown eyes shone with sharp intelligence and self-assurance—qualities unique to one who had roamed the world and emerged victorious in battles of life and death.
“I missed you so, so much!”
As both a woman and a person, Seo-ah was utterly captivating. Her vibrant smile, so reminiscent of old times, caught Ephelinus off guard. He couldn’t even compose his expression.
His heart raced.
In that moment, he realized the emotion that had consumed him during her absence wasn’t merely worry.
It had been longing.
Yes, he had missed Seo-ah.
The longing had been so profound it had turned into concern, and it was this same yearning that had led him to wish for her safe return and prepare to send her home.
“The United Government of Genève grants Seo-ah Jang, savior of Genève and Saintess of Sol, the honorary title of Regent of New Genève and a safe passage back to her home planet, Earth.”
But there was no need to dwell on his feelings any longer. He was already in the process of saying goodbye to her.
“Through the interpretation of ancient texts, Ephelinus, High Priest of the Holy Kingdom, has successfully completed the reverse summoning ritual.”
At that moment, when Seo-ah’s gaze snapped to him, the flicker in her eyes—Was it betrayal? Shock? Disdain?—pierced through him.
But even that didn’t matter. He didn’t need to interpret it. He was no longer her protector, and they were about to part ways.
“After all these years, are you really fine with sending me away like this?”
Was he?
No. He wasn’t.
Which was precisely why he had willingly prepared a ritual that demanded his life force.
“As Sol’s servant, prayer and waiting are my sacred duties.”
“Ugh, you’re so infuriating!”
Still, there was no other response he could offer, and in the end, he had no choice but to infuriate Seo-ah completely.
Perhaps it was better this way.
If they were going to part, severing their emotional ties would be easier for them both.
