Obsession... What's That? I Just Wish Someone Would Help Me Escape - Chapter 86
He started unbuttoning his cuffs with a leisurely expression. I figured I’d stop him in a bit.
Just as that handsome collarbone began to show, I held up my hand like a pious priest, looking stern.
“No, there won’t be any edification.”
This deranged being was my enemy, and unlike the Saintess, I wasn’t about to let myself get swept away by him and end up devoured.
“Why? Are you always this fickle?”
El’s fingers paused, his hand poised right at that tantalizing spot.
He looked slightly put out.
I reminded myself of Marbas’s rule of equivalent exchange.
Ask for one thing, and he might demand two in return.
Besides, I still didn’t know exactly what he was.
“There’s something… I feel a wall between us.”
“A wall?”
“Perfection.”
I threw in a rookie compliment to catch him off guard.
Given the aura he exuded, it wastrue.
He looked pleased, like a manager satisfied with his performance review.
“That flattery, I like it.”
Just wait. Right now, I’m playing nice, bowing down, but soon I’ll have you on your knees before me.
He spoke again, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
“Consider your debt for edification repaid. Afraid of what I might take, so you refused?”
“In that case, may I request my health restored instead?”
“That’s due to your own useless magic. We could just extract it and replace it with divine energy.”
He spoke of it like a malignant tumor as he tipped his teacup and took a sip.
I swallowed, watching his Adam’s apple move up and down.
I still had three of those blue centipede heads left, and one of them was stealthily added to his teacup.
If he was really a god, he’d be fine. If he wasn’t, he’d die.
Thirty seconds after drinking, and El showed no change in expression. He looked completely unaffected.
Is he truly a god?
Then, his face drew closer, tilting at an angle.
Wait, is he about to kiss me?
My heart began to race as if I were spellbound by some unknown force.
Does he have pheromones or a seductive ability?
Right then, as his scent and breath neared, our lips met, and a shiver ran through me, convincing me that he was indeed a god.
It was a realization that defied logical thinking—a primal certainty.
Could he be Eloastar, the god worshiped by the Order?
I’d assumed he was a demon because he’d devoured the Saintess…
I’d been too trapped by my own prejudice.
“Is that enough proof for you?”
As I felt the tea pour into my mouth, my eyes widened.
Did he know about the poison and keep it in his mouth this whole time?
He drew away, and tea trickled down from the corner of my lips.
He wiped it away, his fingers brushing my cheek as he spoke.
“There’s something I want to confirm, too, but that’ll have to wait.”
What could he possibly want to confirm?
And he didn’t mention the poison at all?
Maybe it was just the confidence of the strong. An odd sense of helplessness crept over me.
Just a few seconds later, there was a knock at the door.
Knock knock—
“Saintess, it’s time for the last round of the tournament.”
A priest’s voice came from beyond the door.
El squinted, leaning down to press a light kiss to my forehead.
“See you soon, pink puppy.”
I rubbed my forehead, still warm from where he’d kissed it.
Marbas had kissed me there before, too.
Does this make it an indirect kiss between enemies?
Not wanting to add to my sins, I chose not to mention it.
“If you choose the demon, you’ll see hell, not heaven.”
A chill ran down my spine at the added warning.
Was that a threat to kill me?
And hadn’t I already chosen by accepting his power?
El spoke as if he were unaware that I’d gained divine abilities.
Shouldn’t gods be all-knowing, able to read human thoughts and see everything? Strange.
The way he disguised himself as a human and seemed so… human, reminded me more of gods from Greek and Roman myths.
“Pah.”
Out in the corridor, I spat out the tea I’d kept in my mouth and looked up at the ceiling.
That god probably held the Saintess’s edification power, too.
Why was he living in her body?
Simply for fun? A hobby?
I’d encountered the final boss—the real, ultimate final boss—right from the beginning.
In conclusion, my plan to kill the Saintess, steal her power, and bring down the Order was now shattered.
Does escaping even mean anything anymore?
Even if I made it out, the world outside is controlled by religion. Changing that would be impossible.
How am I supposed to win when a god has descended directly?
Weighted down by a sense of powerlessness, my shoulders drooped.
“Here I am, living to see the day I kiss a god.”
Strictly speaking, it was more of a party game penalty than a kiss.
A guard, annoyed at my muttering, urged me impatiently.
“Number 49, stop dawdling. It’s almost your turn.”
