There was no way a trick like this would work on me.
The black hands clung to my body, refusing to let go.
I could see King Eseah’s face, drenched in a sense of victory.
Just seeing that face made a wave of disgust rise up inside me.
The vile energy clinging to my body was unmistakably dark magic.
In other words, it was the power of the Heretical Faction.
“No matter how holy you are, Saintess, you won’t be able to escape this.”
The King mouthed the words, his voice full of confidence. A sneer escaped me at his smug tone.
As I showed no signs of distress, the King’s expression twisted slightly.
“This is good.”
I tensed my entire body, trying to act composed. A screeching noise rang out as my skin was scratched, leaving long gashes on my limbs.
“The presence of the Heretical Faction in the imperial audience chamber alone isn’t enough to depose you.”
From the wounded areas, my skin began to darken. Watching my skin turn black, my fingers trembled slightly.
I smiled faintly, unwilling to show that to the King.
“But now, you’ve gone as far as to harm me directly.”
As I poured divine power into the black hands, they began to turn white.
However, they still wouldn’t let go of my body. Moreover, the parts of my skin that had turned black did not return to normal.
Blood welled up in beads as I looked away from my arms and legs.
There were long marks etched into them, as if the hands intended to drag me into the pit from which they’d emerged.
The force pulling me grew stronger and stronger.
“You won’t escape punishment.”
There was a limit to how long I could keep up the pretense of calm.
The strength of the hands intensified, and I was struggling to endure it.
Since they opposed divine power itself, even my holy energy could not break their will.
They were determined to take me, no matter what.
“You’re wrong, Lady Saintess.”
The King straightened his posture as he looked at me, now halfway dragged in.
Even his body trembled.
“I haven’t harmed you.”
True, he hadn’t harmed me directly. But he was the one who summoned these things and laid the trap.
“And now, Your Holiness will simply enter a deep sleep.”
The King had regained his confidence.
He smiled. I hated that smile.
My insides twisted and I furrowed my brows as I tried to regain my composure.
While I was distracted by the King, the hands that had been turning white turned black again.
Their grip tightened, and in the blink of an eye, I was dragged into the pit by the black hands.
***
When I first became the Saintess, I thought those who pledged loyalty without even knowing me were foolish.
“Ah.”
Just because I was chosen by God, they acted as if they would lay down their lives for me.
Expensive clothes.
Food that delighted the tongue.
A cozy bedroom and servants who acted as my hands and feet.
People who followed me simply because I was a Saintess.
“This has to be a dream.”
I always thought it was more than I deserved.
“This can only be a dream.”
It didn’t have to be me.
I wasn’t a righteous person, nor the kind of noble soul who would willingly sacrifice herself for others.
As a Saintess, sacrificing myself for people was simply the price I paid for how I was treated.
“Who are you kidding.”
When I lifted my head, a bright world came into view.
Tilting my head, I saw black hair instead of the pink waves I was used to.
That’s how I knew this had to be a dream.
A dream made from pieces of my own memory.
“They must be trying to trap me in this dream…since they can’t kill a Saintess.”
It was clear now. They were trying to imprison me in an eternal dream.
I stepped back and closed the window. The rushing wind stopped instantly.
As I turned my head, I saw the room—decorated entirely to my taste.
“More vivid than my memories.”
A massive television taking up one wall.
Furniture in black and white with a minimalistic design.
A large bed I had bought for a perfect night’s sleep.
“Really so vivid that I almost want to live here forever.”
I looked for my phone.
The place from years ago felt unfamiliar, so it took a while to find it.
I used to earn a decent amount of money, so my house was quite spacious.
Thankfully, I found the phone pretty quickly.
The house had a second floor, which I had set up for leisure.
I picked up the phone glowing with a red notification light, buried among a pile of cushions upstairs.
“This was about…a day before I was summoned to the Wesleyan Empire?”
After checking the date, I scowled.
It really was a space crafted from my memories.
“What was the password again?”
Holding the phone with its nearly dead battery, I tried unlocking it.
The years in between made even that difficult.
“Ah.”
After failing to draw the unlock pattern multiple times, a message popped up saying the device could no longer be unlocked.
In the end, I tossed the phone back into the cushions.
“Whatever. It’s all just a dream.”
There were probably tons of missed messages from my manager, but I didn’t care.
It was just a dream. Everything would disappear once I woke up.
Thanks to the king’s hidden trump card, I’d been properly caught off guard. I sighed as I descended the stairs.
“How am I supposed to wake up from this dream?”
I muttered to myself.
I went downstairs to find the remote.
Though a newly bought AI device stood nearby, I turned on the television manually.
I flipped through a few news channels and sat on the sofa.
“Why does this feel so awkward?”
Then I paused on a channel showing my face.
There I was, walking through a crowd of reporters, wearing flashy makeup like I was putting on a show.
“Did I come back to the country yesterday?”
It seemed I had just returned from abroad.
As I exited the airport, reporters were shouting questions at me.
“How boring.”
Black hair, black eyes.
Casual, lightweight clothes.
Everything felt out of place.
I eventually stood up from the sofa, unable to keep watching my own awkward image on TV.
“…”
I ended up walking into the dressing room and put on something appropriate.
At one point, I’d enjoyed collecting watches, and now I saw rows of them displayed like jewels.
I chose one and fastened it to my wrist, then twisted my hair up and pulled a hat down low over my head.
“How am I supposed to wake up from this dream…”
I repeated the same words.
They wanted to trap me in this dream so I could never wake up. That must be their goal, so I had to wake up as soon as possible.
“Why does this place feel so strange, even though it used to be where I lived?”
I stepped outside, walking silently even as I felt gazes following me.
None of it mattered. They were all illusions.
A part-time flyer distributor handed me a leaflet.
I accepted it and glanced around. Someone tried to speak to me, but I brushed it off.
“This isn’t my world.”
I kept walking forward.
That meant I wasn’t dwelling in the past.
There were no priests or mages in this world.
No spirits or non-human races here either.
“Excuse me.”
Someone grabbed my wrist tightly.
I frowned at the bold touch and shook off the hand.
Since this was just a dream, I had no reason to hold back.
“Aren’t you…?”
A woman, seemingly flustered, cautiously asked with her cheeks flushed red.
When she said my name, those who had been watching from afar began approaching slowly. They didn’t hesitate.
It had been so long that I’d forgotten who I used to be in this place.
I looked coldly at those who began to swarm me.
I was in no mood to be kind to the people in my dream.
I had no proper family.
No one I could call a friend.
But there were many who liked the image I portrayed—people I once considered precious.
“No, I’m not.”
My hat was pulled off.
Someone tugged at my clothes, ripping a well-fastened button off, sending it rolling across the ground.
I felt the pain just as it was.
It was so vivid that someone else might have mistaken it for reality.
“I am Emilone.”
I brushed back my now messy hair.
Pushing through the stunned crowd, I picked up the torn button.
“W-Where are you going?”
Someone asked.
I pocketed the crushed button that had already been stepped on and broken.
Someone from within my dream asked that question.
If this situation were real, the internet would be flooded with headlines declaring I had gone mad.
I tilted my head slightly with a faint smile.
“To the Kingdom of Eseah.”
I had no intention of wandering aimlessly in this dream forever.
“Alois is waiting for me.”
Not only Alois, but Reneben too.
And others waiting in the Empire.
Clinging to past memories and failing to return to their side—.
That was something I refused.
*.*.*
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapter 31 - September 27, 2025
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapter 30 - September 25, 2025
- Emilone’s Temptation Labyrinth – Chapter 137 - September 25, 2025