I Can Hear the Saint’s Inner Thoughts

Episode 10 – Who’s the Liar? (2)

“Second question, did either of you ever steal my robe? What did you do with it?”

Like a detective trying to find the truth, I started questioning them.

My laundry had disappeared on occasion, so it was a question that had been bugging me.

“Wh, why are you suddenly asking about that? Even if you ask that, it’s not grounds for identifying a liar…”

“That’s right. Why would you think that *I* stole your robe? You are free to be mistaken, but you’re jumping to conclusions.”

The two Victorias had almost identical mannerisms and speech. Even denying their feelings for me was the same.

But,

– What do I do? Did he realize? That I took Astal’s robe to get his scent on me, and did bad things with it….

I could hear another voice. A genuine, unfiltered thought.

To distinguish the real one from the two that were almost identical, I had to take advantage of this.

“Really? I put detection magic on my things, so I can tell who stole them. Besides, isn’t it obvious that there are flower petals attached to it?”

I scoffed in disbelief. Exaggerating the curve of my lips, I revealed that I had seen through their lies.

To begin with, my robe is a special item only given to top students at the Blue Magic Tower. The head of the Blue Tower, my teacher, is the one who bestows it directly.

It would be strange if such simple magic wasn’t on it.

“Ah, anyway, I definitely didn’t steal it.”

“I stole it. I thought it looked like you always wore it, so I wanted to try it on.”

At this point, the two Victorias’ statements diverged. One stubbornly denied stealing my robe, while the other confessed to the crime.

– If I say it like this, he won’t misunderstand, right? Yeah, he won’t know what I did with the robe!

Even after hearing their thoughts, it was still hard to guess which of the two was the fake.

‘…Should I ask more trivial questions?’

I was tapping my toes, deep in thought. Between the time of the contract and now, exactly a week, what would be difficult to fabricate, other than sweet-talk?

“Do you guys remember what we ate together yesterday?”

A memory suddenly flashed through my mind. Before we came here, we shared something to eat.

“Of course I remember. It was grilled shadow lizard tail.”

“You still remember the part where I licked the sauce? You really think that was an indirect kiss? You’re truly hopeless, you pervert.”

– The restaurant that I went to with Astal, I researched that place a few days ago, so Heoryong should know it too…

This time, both of their behaviors mirrored each other. The Victoria on the right went even further, mentioning the act of licking the sauce.

It was surprising that just now, she was the one denying that she stole my robe.

‘Up until now, the Victoria who said I gave her an indirect kiss has a higher probability of being real.’

With this, I started to get a better grasp of which one was the real one. Even if they can read memories up to a week ago, there would still be some parts they don’t know.

But I couldn’t just pull out my sword and attack right away, as my suspicions weren’t as strong as before.

I could end up hurting the real one, so from now on, I had to be more cautious than ever.

‘Besides, I can use the fake to figure out what kind of feelings she has for me.’

Even if what I’m hearing now is really Victoria’s inner thoughts, what you think can always be fabricated.

Victoria could be intentionally letting her inner thoughts be heard, in order to use a ruse to mock me.

The actions I’m about to take are definitely not based on my personal desires.

“At this rate, I can’t tell who’s real.”

I let out a deep sigh toward those Victorias, as if there was nothing I could do. I furrowed my eyebrows, emphasizing how uncomfortable I was.

“Then, how about you guys each say something good about me? The one who runs out of things to say first is the fake.”

The last resort I ended up pulling out was something that forced them to reveal their feelings without fail.

* * *

“That’s a fallacy. There’s no way you can determine the fake with just that. Don’t you have another way?”

“That’s right. There aren’t even enough good things about a brute like you to count on one hand.”

At my suggestion, the two Victorias frowned with displeased expressions. They even said there was no way to tell the fake using just that, suggesting we use another method.

“If you don’t want to, shall I assume both of you are fake? It’s fine with me.”

Looking at those Victorias, I drooped my lips, unfazed. A magic circle made from my bare hands, without a staff, glowed before their eyes.

Battles were always happening in the demon realm, and it was common for enemies to break my staff. Because of that, I had no choice but to learn how to use magic with just my bare hands.

“…Alright. We’ll do it, won’t we.”

“You always have to have such extreme measures.”

Only then did they bite their lips and agree to my suggestion. They looked at each other and prepared to speak, one by one.

“Then who’ll go first? I think it’d be good for the confident one to start first.”

Looking at them, I was secretly anticipating what kind of compliments would come out.

Even if it’s just me being coaxed into sweet-talking, thinking about the things Victoria usually says to me, the process doesn’t really matter.

She’s not a saint, more like a venomous snake, with no hesitation in spewing insults, venom, and dirty talk.

“I’ll go first.”

“Go ahead.”

At that moment, Victoria, who was standing to my right just before, placed her hand over the center of her chest and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes, which had been closed, and slowly parted her lips with a grave expression.

“…First of all, Astal-nim, you have a pretty good physique for a mage. You’re even kind of gorilla-like, with all those sturdy muscles.”

– If I had to list your good points, I could go on till day and night, but… this is in front of Heo Ryong.

The other Victoria spat out words that hardly sounded like praise. She had a habit of twisting her words like this.

“Is that a compliment or an insult?”

“Think of it as you like. Or should I add that your lust is as serious as a monkey in heat?”

Hearing that, I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. I never even touched a strand of her hair when I shared a bed with her.

Physique or looks? She’s an objectively perfect woman.

Victoria was so vile in her appearance that she even called the succubus queen, an enemy, a ‘milk saint’.

“I’ve never been turned on by you, though.”

“Then, perhaps you were hiding some kind of wand in your pants pocket last night? It wasn’t exactly small enough to hide just by crossing your legs…

– I saw your reaction to those provocative movements. I clearly saw your face turn red when my breasts moved up and down while taking off my sacred clothes.”

“…You saw *that*? When did you see it?! Are you always looking at my crotch?!”

I couldn’t help but feel dizzy when I heard the inner thoughts coming from Victoria. It would’ve been strange not to react to something like that in the first place.

Is this woman really a saint? Is she really the one that the celestial being had chosen to illuminate the world with light?

“Isn’t it just a natural physiological phenomenon that every man experiences? I didn’t see any reaction when I was naked, so I was just worried that you might be impotent.”

Even after making such a high-level remark, Victoria had her chest thrust forward as if she was confident. As if my jumping in surprise was the odd reaction.

“…Please refrain from making comments like that about my body. Even if it’s fake, it feels bad.”

The other Victoria looked down with disdain at the being that looked just like her.

“Who are *you* calling fake? Are you perhaps afraid that your true identity will be exposed?”

At the reaction of that being, the Victoria who had just been mixing praise with insults at me, smirked and looked relaxed.

However,

“A crazy woman who’d bring up a flaw of a man I think well of must be a fake. Therefore, unlike you, I will talk about Astal-nim’s kind aspects.”

The other Victoria, whose turn it was to praise me, looked at me, her cheeks slightly flushed, and said something shocking.

“…What?”

“What did you just say?”

Victoria, not my Victoria, went pale as a ghost, both of us at the same time, jaws hanging open.

“You’re the first person who’s ever seen me as a girl, not a saint. The first time we met, you didn’t ask for a miracle, you said you were happy to meet me—”

“…Okay, this b*stard’s a fake.”

My face crumpled at those words, and I instantly froze the imposter solid. The thing that looked like Victoria just moments ago shattered into a popsicle the moment its disguise fell away, revealing its true form.

“H-how did you know I wasn’t real?”

Her real form, Victoria, looked utterly bewildered as she covered her mouth with a hand, staring at how I instantly saw through the Chameleon Dragon’s offspring’s trick.

“…Well, first off, a Chameleon Dragon can only accurately read memories from exactly a week ago. It wouldn’t know the specifics of us sleeping together last night, or sharing a meal.”

I started to explain to Victoria. The reason I could make the call so quickly was that she had said or done things only the real her would.

“…Ah, was that it?”

“And, Victoria isn’t the type to say she feels good about me, more like she hates or despises me.”

“……”

– So, he really doesn’t see me as anything more than a comrade… How could he recognize the imposter immediately and kill it just because I said something close to a confession…?

Victoria’s self-esteem was plummeting as she mentally voiced those gloomy thoughts, but there was nothing to be done.

Because, I had truly no feelings for Victoria whatsoever.

In this kind of situation, acknowledging the feelings just because I can read her mind will only lead to hurt for both of us.

‘It’s just a one-month contractual relationship, and there’s no telling what she might think later, besides, I’m not going to string her along…’

I grabbed Victoria’s hand again, steeling myself. At least until I kill the Demon King, I can’t let myself be swayed by fleeting emotions.

That was the only way I could atone to my parents and friends, and get revenge.

“Why are you holding my hand again? Are you getting cocky because a mere fake spewed some lies? You’re such a horny dog, after all.”

Victoria, seeing me hold her hand so she wouldn’t fall away into the mist again, spat out her usual venom, either because she was angry I didn’t understand her feelings or just because she’s her.

“I was a fool to think even for a second that you might feel something for me. Sure.”

“Are you out of your mind? Why would I like you?”

Victoria looked disgusted, as she interlocked her fingers with mine, holding on even tighter.

What a bothersome, irritating woman. How can her inner thoughts and actual behavior be so different?

That moment,

– I love you. I adore you. I’ve been secretly loving you for so long. I love how kind you are. I always loved you secretly. I can’t tell you my feelings now, but… someday I want to hear an answer from you.

The warmth, tingling and traveling through my fingertips, and the emotions that came with it, made something flutter inside my chest.

“Victoria. Actually, I…”

“What is it?”

I was about to reveal the truth to Victoria for the first time, but…

– “Later, you absolutely have to get your revenge on the bed, you know? Make me scream your name, make me sob for forgiveness, squeeze me dry like a rag before you finally get me pregnant…”

“…No. I’m sorry.”

I heard something that wasn’t human language, some animalistic sound, and any desire to confess to Victoria that I could hear her thoughts vanished.