Chapter 7.4

The temple I hadn’t visited in almost a month was unchanged. The low, rickety fence, the path covered in sand instead of a paved road, the signboard that groaned in the wind—all of it felt like a testament to Grandpa Mason’s strong conviction to squeeze every last drop of donation money from visitors.

It was a familiar and welcome sight. My complicated and heavy heart felt a little lighter, as if I had come home.

‘What if he’s not here either?’

Grandpa Mason’s temple was my last resort for meeting Jeras. There was no way for me to enter the Imperial Palace, so if he didn’t come to me, there was no way to meet. Why would he disappear now, after constantly dropping by as if this were his own home?

‘If he’s not here, well, I guess I’ll have to ask Grandpa to pass on the message.’

Frankly, Kieryk isn’t even my brother, so whatever happens to him has nothing to do with me. I walked steadily toward the temple, hypnotizing myself.

“Sister!”

“Rita! You’re doing well?”

“Uh-huh! Sister, why were you late? Was the book really hard?”

“Oh… how did our Rita know sister was studying?”

I brushed the dirt off Rita’s hands as I asked. I had never told the kids the details.

Rita giggled.

“Brother Jeras said so! He said sister was busy reading, so you couldn’t come for ten nights. Sister, have ten nights passed already?”

“Brother Jeras was here? When? When did he come?”

“Now!”

Rita pointed a short, plump finger toward the temple. Nice! I was lucky. I hurried inside.

There was no one there. Only the sunlight streaming through the window sat on a chair.

Without a moment to savor the temple’s unique, serene quiet, I opened the door to the secret passage. A dazzling corridor unfolded. As I stepped inside, I closed the door behind me.

“Lady Eloe? When did you arrive?”

Grandpa Mason appeared behind me, asking. He was holding a basin of water and a clean white cloth. The rising steam told me the water was hot.

A sudden, ominous feeling washed over me. What if Jeras was hurt or cursed?

“Grandpa, where is Jeras?”

“He is in the second room on the left, but please wait a moment…”

As soon as I heard his answer, I flung the door open. I was sick and tired of waiting. I wanted to tell him about Kieryk’s condition as soon as possible and definitively end my relationship with Jeras.

‘…Siliya?’

There was no mistake. The woman lying on the bed was Siliya. And Jeras was sitting on a chair beside the bed.

He had his long legs crossed and was leaning back in his usual arrogant posture. But his profile was unusually shadowed. His serious, playful-less eyes felt particularly unfamiliar.

Does he always make that expression in front of Siliya? Because she’s the true heroine?

For a moment, my heart sank.

What is this? I took a deep breath.

My gaze naturally shifted to Siliya. Her eyes were tightly closed as if she were sleeping, but her complexion was not good. I could see several dark blue veins on her neck, not covered by the blanket.

It was poison. The poison Empress Florese had put on her to control her.

Perhaps Siliya wasn’t sleeping but was on the verge of death. Jeras must have brought her here to ask Grandpa Mason for an antidote.

‘So that’s why Jeras’s expression was so serious. He was worried about Siliya.’

The timing was bad. This was a place I shouldn’t be. I felt like an uninvited guest.

It would be better to just leave a message with Grandpa Mason. It wasn’t like I had to tell him face-to-face.

I tried to leave the room quietly. If only Jeras hadn’t grabbed my wrist.

“If you’ve come, you should say something. Why are you sneaking away? You’re a squirrel, aren’t you?”

I couldn’t help but turn my head to look at Jeras. His red eyes and lips formed a pleasant curve.

It felt too overwhelming to meet his eyes, so I only looked at the small mole on the corner of his mouth. Jeras let out a low laugh.

“You missed me that much?”

“No, I didn’t! Am I crazy?”

“Crazy for me? Yes, I know how you feel, Lady.”

Muttering brazenly, Jeras stood up and pushed me by my back. I was pushed out into the corridor.

I struggled to pull my wrist from his grasp. Jeras paid no mind and politely kissed the back of my hand as if it were a casual greeting.

His lips parted.

“Lady, I…”

“It is truly a beautiful sight to see you two so affectionate.”

“Eeeeek! No! Not at all!”

“Ah, youth is a wonderful thing.”

Grandpa Mason pretended not to hear me. I pushed Jeras’s shoulder. He stumbled back weakly and his face crumpled.

Before I could even explain, Grandpa Mason said something shocking.

“The person inside is not in a good state. At this rate, she will not last the night.”

 

***

 

“This isn’t a common type of poison. It’s combined with a complex curse. The patient has been under the effects for a long time, so simply purifying the curse won’t be enough to detoxify her.”

“Are you saying we need to do both purification and detoxification at the same time?”

 

“Yes. Even then, the chances of success are not high. It’s a curse from a high-ranking demon, one with very powerful abilities. I can feel the malice—the clear intention to take her life. I’ve taken measures to prevent the poison from spreading, but I don’t know how long they will hold…”

Grandpa Mason’s voice was filled with sorrow. Jeras stood leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. His mind was probably a mess.

“It would be good to have one more priest who can keep pace with me.”

“To keep up with you, they’d have to be a high priest. It’s impossible. And if the Grand Temple finds out, things will get complicated.”

“I know. That’s why you brought her here, right?”

Jeras shrugged. He didn’t say it outright, but he seemed to know that Siliya was connected to Empress Florese. I was also getting lost in thought. Siliya can’t die…

I looked at the dark blue veins on Siliya’s neck and opened my mouth. I was desperate, willing to grab onto any straw, even a rotten rope.

“Can’t I help?”

Both of them looked at me at the same time. Grandpa Mason thought for a moment, then placed his hand on my head.

“The flow of your divine power has become much smoother. You’ve also gotten stronger.”

“I think it’s because I learned how to use mana at the Academy. It’s much easier to handle divine power now. Can I do it?”

“Just looking at your divine power, I think you’d be fine. However, it’s a significant curse, and I’m worried it might be too much for you, Lady Eloe. Even if I bear some of the burden…”

“It’s okay. I’ll do it. Please, let me.”

“No. Lady, don’t get involved in this.”

Jeras, who had been listening silently to our conversation, spoke up. I sent a determined look to Grandpa Mason.

“I’ll do it. There’s no one else who can.”

“This isn’t a game.”

“I’m not joking either. They say she’ll die if we leave her like this. I can’t just do nothing when there’s something I can do.”

“Don’t be so stubborn. Whether this woman lives or dies has nothing to do with you, Lady.”

I was hurt by his cold rebuke, even after I was trying so hard to help. What does he know? Why would it have nothing to do with me when Siliya is the heroine?

And even if it were a complete stranger, I would have done the same. A person is dying right in front of me, and I can help. How can I just walk away?

I completely ignored Jeras and nodded to Grandpa Mason. I’ll do it. I can do it.

“Lady.”

Jeras grabbed my shoulder and turned me around. When did he get so close? I had no choice but to face him. He had a furrowed brow and his lips were tightly sealed in a surly line. He looked angry.

“Don’t do anything dangerous and go home. Grandpa and I will handle this.”

“But there’s no other way. We can’t call someone from the Grand Temple, and you don’t even know how to use holy magic. I’m not doing this for you, so don’t interfere.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Why are you acting like a child in this situation…”

“I don’t want you to be in danger.”

“…Huh?”

It was a sound that came from my brain and mouth as one. I knew without looking that my eyes were about to pop out of my head. It was the kind of line a male lead would say to the female lead.

If that’s the case, he’s got the wrong person. Your partner is Siliya, who’s lying there, not me.

But I didn’t know what to say in this situation, so I just stared at Jeras with wide eyes.

Then Jeras’s reaction was completely weird. He widened his eyes just like me, no, even wider, then he stroked his chin. He turned his head away and then back to me. After a few minutes of indecision, he let out a long sigh.

“If you get hurt, Sion will try to kill me.”

So that’s what it was. Of course, that guy would never worry about me. The day he worries about me is the day the sky splits in half and the river flows backward.

Well, Jeras wasn’t wrong. Ever since he suddenly offered to get engaged and shoved those jewelberries at me, he’s been on my family’s bad side. If they hear that he put me in danger, I can already picture what the three of them will do.

I scoffed.

“I’m not a child. I won’t tell them. Don’t worry.”

“Will it matter if you don’t tell them? I don’t want to be hated by Sion.”

What is this line? Was his strange reaction earlier because of Sion? The two of them were close friends from childhood until Sion died. Only Sion could put up with Jeras’s bad personality.

I mixed in a little bit of spite and enlightened Jeras about reality.

“Oh, really? So you really like my brother. Unfortunately, I think that’s already out of the question. My brother doesn’t particularly like His Highness.”

“Stop trying to get a rise out of me and get out. If you don’t leave on your own, I’ll make you. One. Two.”

Jeras, being cheap, didn’t even count to three before pushing me. He didn’t seem to be pushing very hard, but I was sent reeling.

The door was right in front of me. Just as I was getting ready to grab the doorknob and hold on, Grandpa Mason cried out urgently.

“Lord Jeras, Lady Eloe!”

“Cough, cough…! Ugh!”

Siliya’s condition suddenly worsened. She coughed painfully, then coughed up a clump of dark red blood.

I pushed past Jeras and rushed to the bedside. While Grandpa Mason was infusing Siliya with divine power, I used a clean cloth to wipe the blood from her mouth. The coughing stopped, but the blood continued to flow.

Even I, who knew nothing, could see it at a glance. There was no time.

“What do I do? Quickly, Grandpa!”

“…First, while I put up a barrier, Lady Eloe, please infuse her with divine power.”

“Do I not need to recite a purification spell?”

“No. If you feel any repulsion, just lower the intensity a bit.”

“Lady.”

“I’m going to do it no matter what you say.”

I shot back without even looking at Jeras. I heard his sigh mixed with a laugh.

“Who can stop the stubborn Lady? Just don’t overdo it.”

“You should have said that earlier!”

I took Siliya’s hand. Her hand was as cold and hard as a piece of wood frozen by the winter wind, and I shivered slightly. I deliberately put strength into my hand and closed my eyes. I slowly injected my divine power, feeling as if I was transferring it from my hand to Siliya’s.

Soon, I realized what Grandpa had meant by repulsion. The divine power that was flowing smoothly felt like it was being repelled once it passed a certain level.

After I had been adjusting the intensity according to the repulsion, someone lightly patted my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see Grandpa Mason looking at me.

“The barrier is complete. I will explain what you need to do, Lady Eloe.”

Grandpa’s explanation was as follows: To save Siliya, we had to do a curse purification and a detoxification at the same time. The purification was more difficult and mentally taxing, so Grandpa would handle that, and I would handle the detoxification.

The detoxification was not easy either. I had to continue using my divine power the entire time Grandpa was purifying her. If the divine power was cut off even for a moment, it could cause a much larger backlash. In short, my mission was to endure and detoxify until the purification was complete.

“Can you do it?”

Grandpa Mason asked with a worried look in his eyes. I nodded without hesitation.

‘It’s not a question of whether I can or not. I have to do it.’

“Then… let’s begin. If it gets too much for you or you feel something strange in your body, please give me a sign at any time.”

“Yes. Don’t worry.”

We both raised our divine power and recited our spells simultaneously. Grandpa’s divine power, which was close to white, seeped into Siliya’s chest, and my divine power, which glowed gold, permeated various parts of Siliya’s body. It was the same divine power, but it looked slightly different. Maybe it was because the spells were different.

But that wasn’t what was important. To keep myself from getting sidetracked, I closed my eyes and focused only on the detoxification spell.

‘The repulsion is stronger than before?’

“Grandpa, the repulsion is…”

“You must not back down. Do it with the thought of suppressing the repulsion.”

Sweat was already beading on Grandpa Mason’s forehead.

I can’t harm her after I said I would, and that I could do it. I held onto Siliya’s hand with both of mine as if in prayer and held on.

After a certain point, what I felt was a warm energy that swirled around inside me and then left through my hand.

I’m not sure how to describe it. It was like moist, warm smoke, or perhaps water heated to the perfect temperature.

It felt… subtly different from divine power.

In any case, thanks to the energy, my hands and feet became warm and comfortable. I had been worried that the amount of divine power leaving my body would be significant and I would run out quickly, but it was springing up without end. It felt as if I had an unending well inside me and it was overflowing.

I focused only on that sensation, mindlessly repeating the process of raising and releasing my divine power. I wasn’t thinking about how much time had passed, what Siliya’s condition was, or anything else. I was just mesmerized, repeating the process of drawing up and sending out the divine power.

The more I did it, the lighter and more refreshed my body and mind became. I no longer felt Siliya’s repulsion pushing me away. I was certain that if I just kept going a little longer, I could completely finish the detoxification on my own.

Yes, just a little. Just a little more…!

“That’s enough. Stop, Lady!”

“…Ah…”

I opened my eyes as if waking from a deep dream. The moment I did, a terrible, bone-crushing pain enveloped me. My body trembled as if I had been thrown naked into a freezing cold.

Someone was holding me. It was probably Jeras. I tried to lift my limp arm, but it wouldn’t budge. It was as heavy as waterlogged cotton.

“I have to… finish the detoxification. If I stop in the middle, it’ll be more dangerous…”

“Grandpa will do it alone. You don’t need to push yourself.”

“…If Siliya… dies…”

I’d never read a novel where the heroine dies as soon as she’s possessed. It was a given, but still…

What would happen then? What would happen to me, the person who possessed that novel? Surely I wouldn’t die just because the heroine did. That would be too pathetic.

I tried to move my arm again. I had gone through so much trouble to save Sion and even got into the Academy; I didn’t want it to end here. But my body still wouldn’t listen. My consciousness was gradually fading.

Beyond my slipping consciousness, I heard low whispers, spaced far apart.

“It doesn’t… matter… I told you before… that you’re in danger… is important…”

‘What is he saying…? I don’t know. If something is wrong with your future girlfriend, don’t blame me…’

I had to do this not for Siliya or Jeras, but for me.

My consciousness completely cut off there.

 

***

 

After two hours, Eloe finally woke up.

Jeras watched her immediately look for something to eat, feeling both relieved and dumbfounded. She was living proof of what Mason had said: she had simply fallen asleep from overusing her divine power in a short amount of time, and there was nothing wrong with her health.

Chewing on a piece of bread Jeras had brought, Eloe asked, “How’s Siliya?”

“Grandpa says she’s past the crisis. It seems she won’t wake up for a while, though. He’s watching over her and managing her condition.”

“That’s a relief… I was worried because I collapsed in the middle.”

Eloe gulped down her milk, a look of relief on her face. Jeras stared at her intently. There was a lot hidden behind his unreadable expression.

It wasn’t Mason who had saved Siliya Rioest, but Eloe. From the middle of the process, Eloe’s power had erupted, affecting not only the detoxification but also the curse purification. The power was so pure it even surprised Mason, who had been through all kinds of hardship.

Mason was even more excited and rambling than he had been years ago when he received gold bars from the Imperial Family as a reward for saving Jeras.

‘She’s been blessed by mana, so her divine power is extraordinary. In fact, I’m not even sure if I should call it divine power. It’s a power somewhere between mana and divine power.’

‘What in the world is her true identity, Lady?’

“I feel much better now. I should go home. Everyone will worry if I’m too late.”

“I’ll take you.”

Jeras followed Eloe, who patted her stomach and stood up. He even opened the carriage door for her, replacing the anxious coachman who had been waiting for Eloe. Then he naturally took a seat across from her.

Eloe glared at him with a crumpled face and threatened him to get out. Jeras, as usual, brazenly stayed put.

Why is he like this? Eloe had no choice but to let the carriage depart.

“I heard you passed the Academy exam. Congratulations.”

Eloe looked at Jeras with wide eyes. A faint smile soon appeared on her face.

“Oh… thanks. It feels a bit late, though.”

“Something happened that day. My apologies.”

“You don’t sound very sorry.”

Despite her pouting lips, Eloe didn’t seem to be too upset. Maybe she was happy with the congratulations, or maybe she was mollified by the apology. It could have been both. In any case, there was no one whose emotions were easier to read than the Lady.

Jeras smiled faintly at her.

“So, what’s the reason you came to see me in person?”

It wasn’t a difficult question, but her answer didn’t come right away. She was hesitant and stammering with her head slightly bowed, which was unlike her usual self.

So she did have something she wanted to say. Jeras leaned back and cocked his chin arrogantly. He was confident in his ability to get a reaction from Eloe.

“I guess you missed me a lot, Lady.”

“I told you I didn’t! Ugh… I don’t know how to say it.”

Eloe scratched her head a few times and looked directly at Jeras. Jeras didn’t avoid her gaze either. Her eyes were serious and determined, as if she had resolved to do something.

It was that very look that always made him feel a sense of anticipation. Jeras waited for her to speak, without knowing why he was anticipating it, or why he was happy.

“I met the First Prince at the Academy. He’s a lecturer, you know.”

“I know. I heard he lectures on artifacts. Why? Was his lecture not good?”

“Huh? No. The lecture was interesting. This week’s assignment is to make an artifact… no, that’s not it! Listen seriously, please.”

“I’m not joking.”

“Never mind that. Have you seen His Highness recently? Did he look sick or was there anything strange about him?”

“Lady, what are you trying to say? Why don’t you just say it instead of beating around the bush?”

Eloe clicked her tongue and let out a long sigh. She spoke tiredly, as if she had given up on everything.

“I saw a black mist around His Highness. It’s something you usually see on people who are cursed, but I’m not entirely certain because I don’t have a lot of experience. Still, I thought you should know.”

A black mist.

Jeras was lost in thought for a moment. He knew how amazing Eloe’s divine power was from their past experiences. Given her personality, he didn’t think she would lie about something like this. It was also true that Kieryk hadn’t looked well the last time they met.

But… Jeras had a question he needed to solve first.

Besides, Kieryk said he was getting treated by a priest every day. If something was wrong, the priest would have noticed and reported it first.

“A Lady who can use holy magic would be able to see something like that.”

Speaking of which, Jeras wiped the smile from his face and asked, “Was it also thanks to holy magic that you knew Siliya Rioest’s name?”

Jeras didn’t take his eyes off her.

He took in every detail: her eyes blinking slowly, her lips slightly parting and closing as if she were hesitating to speak, and the adorable twitch of her nose.

A long silence followed, but the wait wasn’t tedious or long.

Finally, Eloe’s lips parted. She seemed to have made up her mind. He would have to hear what she said to know if it was an answer or an excuse.

Jeras leaned back comfortably, a faint smile on his lips.

“It’s… a prophecy?”

“Ah, a prophecy.”

His now-deeper smile and his look seemed to say that he knew all about her flimsy excuse.

Eloe wanted to quietly turn her head and avoid his gaze. But if she did, it would be an admission of guilt.

Why did she have to make a slip of the tongue? She was half out of her mind, but it was a fatal mistake.

Eloe chided herself internally, but outwardly she maintained her brazen attitude.

If she was going to tell him the truth, she should have done it from the beginning. He wouldn’t believe her anyway.

“I’m curious how much your prophecy told you, Lady. Is there anything else you know?”

“I don’t know… I don’t really remember anything right now.”

“How do you receive prophecies, but you can’t remember them?”

“I see them in dreams. Can you remember all the dreams you have every night?”

“I’m a grown adult, so I don’t have dreams like that. I guess the Lady is still growing taller?”

“I’m an adult too! That has nothing to do with dreams!”

Eloe glared at him. As their pointless banter continued, the atmosphere in the carriage became much lighter than when Jeras had first asked his question.

Jeras’s sudden change in attitude felt suspicious, but it was still much better than being interrogated. Maybe it was because she was a little less tense. A sudden wave of fatigue washed over her, and she yawned.

Eloe glanced at Jeras. He didn’t seem to have anything else to say.

She naturally rested her head against the window and closed her eyes. Even though she had been asleep for a full two hours, her body still felt tired and heavy, as if her physical and mental strength hadn’t fully recovered.

Meanwhile, Jeras was mulling over Eloe’s answer.

Prophecies were usually given to priests along with oracles, but it wasn’t uncommon for the future to be shown through dreams. Since Eloe wasn’t an official priest, it was natural that there were limits to the prophecies she could remember. Her words didn’t contradict each other, so it was difficult to press her further.

Of course, even if he had a reason, Jeras wouldn’t have done it.

He hadn’t doubted Eloe. He was just genuinely curious about how she knew Siliya’s name.

‘She’s definitely hiding something… but so far, there haven’t been any problems, and she’s only acted in a way that benefits me, so does it even matter?’

Jeras shrugged and was startled by his own thought. He knew better than anyone that if it had been anyone else, he would have never let it go.

Eloe had somehow come to hold a very strange place in his heart. She was a person he would intentionally pretend not to see the suspicious things about, and someone he couldn’t stop thinking about no matter what she did.

Jeras suddenly realized this fact, and raising his head in confusion, he let out a natural sigh.

Just like the day she came back from the Academy entrance exam, Eloe was asleep with her neck bent at a bizarre angle. Every now and then, when the carriage shook, her head would hit the window with a thud. It was so painful to watch that a person could feel it for her, but she didn’t make a single sound, no matter how deeply she was sleeping.

“She sleeps so well. Even in this situation.”

Jeras stared at her for a moment, then moved to sit next to her. Carefully, he supported her head and let it rest on his shoulder.

A pleasant weight and warmth settled on his shoulder. Her soft hair touched his neck. A ticklish sensation slowly spread across his skin.

He couldn’t move because her head was resting on his shoulder. Jeras clenched his hand on his knee and then crossed his arms.

‘I’m lending my noble shoulder so the Lady’s neck doesn’t break. Sion, make sure you know that I’m doing this for a friend.’

Even after the carriage arrived at the Duke’s mansion, Eloe didn’t wake up for a long time.

Jeras sat there patiently until she opened her eyes on her own.

Lending his shoulder to someone for the first time in his life… didn’t feel so bad.