I Am God (Saintess’s Point Of View) (1)

“Thank you so very much. I do not know how to express my gratitude.”

“This too was guidance from my Lord.”

The villagers who had been turned undead by Zoi’s power were restored to their original human state through Semirena’s power as a Saintess.

If someone became undead after fully dying, even a Saintess’s power could not heal them.

In that sense, the fact that Zoi’s ability could turn even the living into undead could ironically be called fortunate.

This time as well, there were no casualties.

Even if there had been injured people, the fact that they could be treated was largely thanks to the presence of the Saintess.

“It’s a good thing Semirena was here.”

“Yeah.”

I mean, technically I played a role this time too…

Erika and the others were safe as well.

They had suffered mental contamination from Zoi’s ability and lost consciousness for a while, but by dusk they had awakened and were acting as usual.

“Soji! I was so scared!”

“Yeah, you were scared, weren’t you? There, there.”

“Hehehe~”

Arka had been like this ever since she woke up.

She must have been shown something truly terrifying.

Zoi’s mental contamination apparently showed scenes that broke the target’s heart.

By destroying what a person believed in or held dear right before their eyes, it shattered their mind.

It was a terrifying ability.

I felt genuinely relieved that it had not worked on me due to my lack of the Goddess’s blessing.

“What kind of thing did you see, Arka?”

“Everyone was bullying me. Saying I was evil because I’m a beastman… humans and beastmen alike. And you were there too, Soji…”

“That’s… I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, Soji! I believed you’d never say things like that! But it was scary. It hurt so much…”

I gently patted Arka’s head as she let out her worries.

For her, having beastman blood was both the driving force behind her journey and a source of deep insecurity.

That nightmare had struck precisely at both.

The fact that I had appeared in her dream was also proof of how much she trusted me.

It made me feel happy, yet guilty at the same time.

My feelings were complicated.

“It’s all right now. Could you help Semirena for me?”

“Okay!”

After comforting her as best I could, Arka brightened up and ran off.

Surrounded by villagers, Semirena looked quite busy.

Watching that, I confirmed we were alone and asked Erika quietly.

“How are you feeling?”

“…You can tell without asking, can’t you?”

“Yeah.”

One look at her face was enough.

She had forced a smile in front of Arka, but the corners of her mouth had been twitching.

She was clearly pushing herself.

“I feel awful. What a horrible ability that undead had…”

“By the way, what kind of nightmare did you see?”

“I was surrounded by men.”

“If you were popular, doesn’t that sound like a good dream—”

“How could it be? Every last one of them was the worst kind of man I couldn’t stand on a visceral level.”

Erika raised her voice, unusually agitated.

It must have been deeply unpleasant.

She openly expressed her disgust as she criticized the nightmare.

“Do you think I’d be happy being touched and used by men I don’t like?”

“No, that’s the worst.”

“Exactly. The worst. Anyone who’d enjoy that would have to be a masochistic pervert.”

Erika let out an exasperated sigh.

Even if it was only a dream, the psychological revulsion of being forcibly attacked by someone she hated must have been overwhelming.

It was easy to understand why she had been irritated this whole time.

“You’re lucky, aren’t you? You weren’t affected since you don’t have the blessing.”

“That’s why I could save you, though.”

“That’s true. I’ll thank you for that, at least this time.”

“You’re welcome.”

Erika muttered her thanks with a sulky look.

I had hoped for something a bit more sincere.

Not that I’d expected much.

“But it still annoys me. We were the only ones who had to suffer.”

“What do you mean? If I hadn’t been okay, you’d all still be stuck like that!”

“That’s beside the point. It’s unfair that only we had to see nightmares.”

“What kind of logic is that?”

Did she want me to suffer too?

I was dumbfounded by that warped sense of fairness.

“If you’d been caught by Zoi’s spell, what kind of nightmare do you think you would’ve seen?”

“I have no idea.”

“Imagine it. I could recreate it with illusion magic for you.”

“That’s just cruel!”

Maybe it would have been better if she’d stayed in that nightmare a bit longer and come out more subdued.

I let out a sigh at Erika, who was already back to provoking me despite having just awakened from a nightmare.

Then someone tugged at the hem of my clothes.

When I looked down, I saw village children gathered around me.

“Hey, Hero! Are you a god?”

“Huh?”

A god?

What were they talking about?

Another child spoke up.

“They said you’re a god!”

“Who said that?”

“The Saintess did!”

“……”

I slowly turned my gaze toward Semirena, who was standing a short distance away.

She was looking straight at me.

She smiled warmly and gently.

For some reason, a chill ran down my spine.

Do not teach kids weird things!

“Well, you see, I’m a Hero, not a god.”

“Ehh! But the Saintess said so!”

“Yeah! She said if we pray to the Hero, he’ll save us!”

“You don’t need to pray. I’m a Hero, so if someone’s in trouble, helping them is just the right thing to do.”

As I tried to placate the children, Erika laughed beside me.

She definitely thought I was an idiot.

Probably thinking, “You’re not even a real Hero,” or something like that.

I could tell from her expression without even looking.

I let out a quiet sigh so the children wouldn’t notice.

It was good that we’d safely defeated a commander, but…

This was going to cause more trouble.

Since it was already late, we decided to stay the night in the village.

We borrowed an empty house wholesale and spent the night there.

We must all have been exhausted.

Mentally drained as well, Erika quickly fell asleep.

“Soji, I want you to stay with me until I fall asleep.”

“Fine.”

Arka still seemed uneasy and apparently couldn’t sleep alone.

I stayed by her side until she drifted off.

Of course, I had no inappropriate thoughts.

I was a gentleman, after all.

After about thirty minutes, Arka was fast asleep.

“…It’s over.”

“You endured it well,”

Arka, sleeping defenselessly, refused to let go of my hand.

I nearly got pulled into the bed, but I endured with all my might and managed to free myself.

Why did simply going to sleep have to be this exhausting?