I Became the Only Savior of the Obsessive Maniacs

As if he could tell that i was wondering how the heck he found me, Cassius confessed:

I followed Sonia's pheromone scent.

Upon hearing those words, I rolled up my sleeve and smelled my skin. The scent of the silver bellflower I smelled yesterday was not there. It was such a faint scent, maybe only someone as sensitive as Cassius would notice it?

I lowered my sleeve.

“I'm screwed if I try to run away without a really good plan….”

If I can't control my pheromones, I would be like a burning tree in the dark. An open, and very visible target for any alphas I would encounter. Overwhelmed by a sense of exhaustion, I sat heavily in the chair as my legs went weak.

Cassius approached me closely.

Is something worrying you?he had the nerve to ask.

I felt a reluctance to show even the slightest courtesy to Cassius, when he is the primary reason I need to leave the holy land. I responded with a grumble:

Everything is worrying me.

Are you feeling anxious because you are the only surviving omega?

 Please don't call me Omega. We still don't know for sure.

I hadn't taken any test to confirm it. There’s no physical proof.

Strong emotions can elicit reactions not only from alphas and omegas but also from betas in a fragmentary way.

"I know I'm being delusional. Sue me!!”

He lowered his head, a small smile on his face.

I recalled the memory when his pheromones enveloped my entire body.

Pheromones are used to seduce the other person. It’s enticing, it's no different from saying, “Look at me, choose me,” and make you want  to engage in a mating dance.

“I won't choose anyone.”

could the last remaining omega in the world choose a specific alpha, and live happily ever after with him?

The next events were as obvious as the blue sky. The remaining alphas would go crazy, kill the one I chose, and do whatever they could to claim me.

No matter what, I had no intention of choosing anyone.

Cassius, who had been staring into my eyes, placed his hand on his neck. Then, he unbuttoned the collar of his priestly robe that was tightly fastened all the way to the neck.

W-What… What are you doing?I asked in confusion.

 He smiled faintly in response and instead of answering, he continued to do what he was doing. The firmly clasped priestly robe fell off.

Is he trying to show physical evidence, since I refuse to acknowledge that I'm an omega?

Under the open collar, a smooth neckline was revealed. Heat surged through me, reaching my ears.

Stop it!

What?

“Just look at him! Taking off his clothes!!!”

He casually moved his hand as if he knew nothing.

He's really going to do it.

Your… Your Holiness… Please, calm down.

But instead of stopping, his hands quickly undo the rest of his priestly robe.

I caught a glimpse of a firm chest through the white priestly shirt.

I wanted to see it, but I didn't want to at the same time. Feeling like I shouldn't look at his body, I tightly closed my eyes.

Cassius firmly grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer. The warm skin of a man’s chest  made the tip of my fingers twitch.

Firm yet soft texture. My face flushed as I felt the distinct sensation of his hot skin, so different from mine.

Sonia.

Yes,YES!!!…

It's okay, open your eyes.

In response to his words, I opened one eye.

You know, just in case.

“Is this a real human body?”

It was a muscular figure with distinct shading, like the sculpture of gods that could be found in a museum.

Especially the carefully sculpted abs, each and every one of them, seemed more like a work of art than a human body.

My hand, held by Cassius, was pressing firmly against his broad chest.

Huh?

I opened both eyes wide as I saw the black patterns spreading across his chest.

I wasn't mistaken. There was a black rose vine on Cassius's chest.

It's the curse of abilities! I murmured.

Some alphas have special abilities, and every time they use those abilities black thorns emerge on their body. When the thorny vines cover the entire body, they lose their reason and go on a rampage until their sanity collapses entirely.

To eliminate the curse, they need to mate with an omega and constantly be in close contact with them.

That's why alphas, especially those with abilities, needed omegas.

In the original work, all alphas except for one prince had abilities.

Omegas were necessary, and since there was none available, they became obsessed with Lancelot, the closest person somewhat similar to what they needed.

My curse is on my shoulder.

Cassius took my hand and led it from his chest to his shoulder. Unintentionally, his chest was solidly felt under my palm.

As the loosely draped robe moved, his upper body was fully revealed.

Between the black thorny vines, there was a single red rose blooming, the same color as Cassius' eyes.

I gently touched the red rose as he directed.

And the black thorns that spread to Cassius' chest began to disappear.

The curse was being purified.

My eyes widened in astonishment.

Lancelot, not being an authentic omega, couldn't remove the thorns by touching them.

“It's real.”

For me to purify the curse of abilities, there was no denying it anymore. I was indeed the only omega in the world. For now.

“I truly am an omega…”

It was as Cassius had said.

I murmured weakly with a tight voice.

Ho….how did you know?

When I was by Sonia's side, I smelled the silver bellflower. It was like the pheromone scent of an omega.

 Your Majesty, have you met an omega before?

Yes, a few times before the outbreak of the fever.

Unlike alphas,all omegas have one specific scent: the scent of silver bellflower.

It's a distinctive floral scent that can't be mistaken for anything else.

In any case, it was bewildering.

I truly… didn't know. I don't even have any memories of manifesting…

I suppose you really didn't know. You kept emitting omega pheromones, so I thought you were trying to seduce me.

Wh…what?Oh, no! 

I truly didn't know. I vehemently denied it.

Then am I the only person who knows Sonia's secret?

At the moment, it really seemed that way.

Yes…

He released my hand and whispered.

We have shared each other's secrets.

I understood what he meant. The holy kingdom does not recognize any power other than divine power.

I don't know what ability Cassius possesses but if the fact that he has one is revealed, he would have to step down from his glorious position.

Therefore, do not be afraid. I want to be of help to you, Sonia.

If I were to expose Cassius' secret, he would be banished from here.

The reason he took the risk and revealed his secret was to protect my secret as well, and show me that he meant no harm.

Thanks to his consideration, I gained the courage to confront my fear.

My mind became calm. I began to think about what I should do next; rationaly.

The reason Lancelot became debilitated was because he wasn't a true omega or he didn’t fully emerge as one. The maniacs went mad because of the curse of abilities.

And Lancelot was unable to suppress their madness.

On the other hand, as a fully awakened omega, I could possibly find a way to suppress the curse that drives them insane without mating with them.

Now, I had a sense of what I needed to do.

* * *

The formal priestly ceremony was one month away.

Priests scheduled for promotion wouldn't take on tasks like cleaning until after the ceremony.

Instead, they had to bathe, pray, and cultivate their bodies and minds devoutly every day.

The work of a priest continues, but consultations are only allowed for dignified people; meaning really powerful people.

But since apprentice priests obviously don’t have appointments with anyone, there was nothing else for us to do than pray and be lazy.

Having leisure time was poison to me.

Whenever I passed by, all sorts of rumors would pour out.

When I woke up the next morning, I was grabbed by Ellie.

Sonia! Why did you keep it a secret from me that you have healing powers?

Many people already asked me the same question.

The answer came reflexively without even thinking about it, as I had said it multiple times before:

But I can't have the final awakening.

All divine powers awaken twice. The most significant and powerful abilities come after the second awakening, the final awakening.

After training to a certain extent, priests would go to the sacred place specifically built for their attribute to pray, and achieve the final awakening.

However, healing couldn't achieve the final awakening because there was no sacred place for it. Since it's a very rare power I guess no one wasted time building one.

Ellie, who knew that fact, nodded her head.

That's true.

And to be honest, I kept it a secret because I was afraid of being ridiculed for having a power that is inferior to mere holy water.

But it's a special power that only you possess. If it were me, I would have proudly shown it off!

My goal is to live as a priest quietly without drawing attention.

I didn't particularly want a power that only draws attention but gives me no defensive capabilities.

I don't want to boast about it. I can only heal minor wounds.

What else can you do?

Relieve fatigue, that's about it.

What else? This time, don't keep it a secret, tell me everything!

Should I tell everything?

 But seeing Ellie's expression, who I was about to explain everything properly,I got scared and sealed my lips.

Answer quickly!she urged

Looking at  her persistently asking, it seemed that someone asked Ellie to find out what else I was hiding???

To their eyes, the healing attribute is a mysterious power. I could understand them.

I quickly escaped from Ellie’s grasp and ran to the prayer room.

Then, I clasped my hands tightly together.

“Oh Lord, why are you doing this to me? I only wanted to be an ordinary priestess.”

After the healing power, now I am the only surviving omega.

I feel like a critically endangered species.

I don't want excessive attention. I just want to be rich, keep my family safe, and quietly bury myself among many other priests.