Surgingly Rising Power (End)
I kept feeding Zeto, and he kept feeding me. Before long, the food had completely disappeared.
I’d prepared the meal for his weakened body, so I wondered if I should even be eating any of it. But the thought that this might be an incredibly rare chance to be fed by him made me accept every bite he offered.
“How is it? Do you feel like your strength is coming back a little…?”
After our intimate meal together, I finished tidying the dishes and asked him quietly as he sat on the bed.
“Strength? It does feel like power has been surging through me since a while ago. Because of that, my body seems a bit feverish…”
“Feverish…? Hmm…”
I let out a small groan at his answer.
Even though it was a highly nutritious dish, for me it had only been enough to restore some energy. Perhaps, just as Herton had said, it was more effective for men. It seemed to have a much stronger effect on Zeto.
The main ingredient, after all, had been a magma bear—a monster that lived in the lava region.
Whether it was because it was a tonic from the fire-magic-specialized Clementine family or simply because of the ingredient itself, I couldn’t say for sure. But it had definitely boosted his vitality.
While I was lost in those thoughts, a strange sound came from Zeto’s direction.
Thump.
It was the sound of something collapsing onto the soft bed.
Feeling puzzled, I quickly turned my head.
There lay Zeto, stretched out on the bed.
“Zeto…?”
I called out to him, but there was no reply.
To suddenly lie down on a woman’s bed without a word—was he playing a prank?
I approached the reclining figure and called his name again.
“…Zeto.”
“…”
Still no answer.
At least, the Zeto I knew wasn’t the type to lie down on a woman’s bed without saying anything.
Sensing something was wrong, I gently shook his shoulder.
“Huh…?”
His body moved without any resistance at my touch.
His soft, shallow breathing made it seem as though he had simply fallen asleep.
Even so, I couldn’t be certain.
Because his eyes were covered by bandages, I couldn’t tell whether they were closed or still open.
I continued calling his name and shaking his shoulder.
Even if he were asleep, it didn’t make sense that he wouldn’t wake up.
…It looked like Zeto had lost consciousness.
If it had been Lucia, maybe, but I couldn’t imagine Zeto suddenly pulling a prank like this.
“Did I… make the food wrong…?”
In my panic, I checked his pulse. It was a little fast, but I could still feel it.
It didn’t seem like a problem with the cooking; nothing like this had ever happened before.
Neither Lucia nor I had suffered any health issues.
Then what on earth had caused this?
Surging Power has been activated.
Herton, the exclusive chef of the Clementine family, learned that an entire magma bear had been sent to Yuri and hurriedly sought out the family head, Jeras Clementine.
“…So you’re worried that Yuri’s obsession might have led her to perfectly complete the dish?”
After listening to Herton’s explanation, Jeras continued calmly reviewing his documents.
“Yes…”
On the other hand, Herton kept his head bowed, his heart heavy with anxiety.
Soon Jeras looked at him and burst into loud laughter.
“Hahaha! …Herton, there’s no need to worry so much. Even if Yuri managed to complete the dish perfectly, the thing you’re afraid of won’t happen. You already know the true effect of the tonic…”
“That is true, but…”
“The last time we met, there was still a children’s storybook by her bedside. Even if the opportunity were given, I doubt that child could seize it.”
“How can you say that, my lord…”
“The opponent simply has to be someone she truly likes. He was quite a fine man. If you met him, I’m sure you’d give your approval as well.”
At Jeras’s words, Herton could only scratch his head with an awkward smile.
When a man consumed the Clementine family’s tonic, his ‘power’ would surge. However, he would be unable to overcome that energy and would fall into a deep sleep.
Only after that would the real deed take place.
Even Herton had been quite surprised when he first learned of the tonic’s effect after joining the family. He suspected that when the tonic was originally created, the head of the Clementine family must have been a woman.
‘A children’s storybook, huh.’
Herton was well aware of Yuri’s pure nature, so he felt somewhat relieved.
To fully enjoy the tonic’s effects, the woman’s ‘active movement’ was ultimately required.
***
In the dark room where the lights had been extinguished, I quietly watched Zeto as he slept peacefully under the moonlight.
The room was so still that if I remained quiet, I could hear the soft sound of his breathing.
‘To fall asleep without saying a single word…’
Zeto had recently pushed himself so hard that he had even coughed up blood.
Perhaps he simply couldn’t endure the overwhelming fatigue.
With that thought in mind, I carefully adjusted his awkward posture, laid him properly on the bed, and even pulled the blanket over him.
The blanket was absolutely necessary.
I rolled my eyes and glanced sideways.
“…”
Something rising near his lower body continued to assert an overwhelming presence even beneath the blanket.
It was vastly different from the shallow knowledge I possessed.
To put it bluntly… it looked ferocious.
I had no idea why it had become like that, but I firmly resolved not to pay it any attention.
If I didn’t cover him with the blanket, the heat would rise and I felt like my face would explode, so I hurriedly pulled it over him.
Even so, my eyes kept drifting toward it. I couldn’t help it.
Suddenly, I remembered what my father had said to me before leaving the room.
‘If it’s a son-in-law like Zeto, this father will always approve.’
If… just if I were to become engaged to Zeto and marry him, as my father had said.
It was only a hypothetical, but the tension made me swallow hard.
‘Would I have to face something like that every night…?’
Thump.
I buried my face in the bed in a hurry.
Just imagining it made my face burn.
What kind of thoughts was a girl like me having while the man in question was asleep?
“Haa…”
I lifted my head, took a deep breath, and quickly cleared my mind.
‘No matter what, this is too much…’
I couldn’t commit such a shameless act—revealing my lust toward someone who had fallen asleep from exhaustion.
Soon my gaze returned to Zeto’s face.
Because of the bandages around his eyes, I couldn’t see them, but his sharp jawline and straight nose were visible.
He possessed such striking beauty that even the bandages couldn’t hide it, and he was incredibly popular among the female students.
The girls who had once whispered while watching him demonstrate acupuncture had done so, and just thinking of Eisel right now made it an undeniable fact.
And now that very man had come to my room, was lying on my bed, and had fallen asleep completely defenseless.
As I slowly pieced it together like that, my heart kept tingling.
‘According to Lucia, when Zeto was on a date with Eisel, he swept his hair back…’
My hand instinctively moved to check his forehead.
But I stopped myself.
Was it really okay to touch Zeto however I wanted when he was defenseless and unable to resist?
‘Still… just his forehead…’
No one would see. No one would know.
The paper-thin wall in my heart crumbled miserably as I gently brushed aside the hair covering his forehead.
Zeto’s smooth, clear brow was revealed.
“…Hehe.”
I smiled faintly as I gazed at him.
This felt refreshing in its own way.
Feeling a surge of courage, I brought my face close to his.
My eyes lingered on his lips for a moment, but that wasn’t my intention.
Soon I could clearly hear the sound of his breathing right beside my ear.
This was the first time I had listened to it from this close.
It was nothing special—just soft, shallow breaths—but for some reason, both my body and mind felt at ease. Was it just my imagination?
“Haaam…”
It might simply be because I was sleepy.
Lying face-down on the bed, I decided to rest my head near his pillow and try to sleep.
Even if we weren’t lying side by side, this could still count as sleeping together, couldn’t it?
Although we hadn’t shared as many words as I had hoped, it felt like we had spent far more time together than expected.
Before closing my eyes, I whispered softly to Zeto.
Of course he wouldn’t hear it, but it was something I had wanted to say at least once.
“Sleep well, Zeto.”
***
Meanwhile, at the very moment Zeto woke up and quickly assessed the situation, Ecklin was going through quite an ordeal.
It was because the Saintess, Bernice, had been refusing to eat for several days.
The reason was none other than the induction ceremony for the honorary knight Zeto that had taken place a few days ago.
“Saintess, Zeto clearly said he was fine and even took care of you instead…?”
Ecklin spoke in a scolding tone to Bernice, who was once again refusing her meal today.
Surging Power
At last, Bernice’s tightly pressed lips slowly parted.
“…That’s exactly the problem. I ruined such a kind person’s induction ceremony. I don’t even deserve to eat. His one and only induction ceremony… without a single blessing…”
Bernice trailed off and hung her head.
Soon her nearly lifeless voice followed.
“I’m the worst…”
“You don’t have to go that far…”
Ecklin couldn’t understand it, but Bernice’s single sentence carried many layers of meaning.
While ruining Zeto’s induction ceremony was indeed terrible, what weighed on her even more was her own powerless position—forced to accept the dark energy clinging to Zeto’s body and his unknowable ‘fate’ without being able to do anything about it.
Even so, she could not defy the will of the Lord. Above all, the Lord had warned that touching it recklessly would bring disaster.
Yet the energy settled within his body was steadily growing larger.
At a glance, it seemed to be spreading from his heart throughout his entire body.
Moreover, Zeto’s life force appeared to have been gnawed away, leaving a noticeable chunk missing.
Bernice could detect neither external nor internal injuries on him.
The meaning behind that fact was obvious.
For now, it was still at a level that could recover naturally, but would it remain that way in the future?
Bernice was afraid of that.
The endless future that lay beyond.
For the first time in her life, something had filled her with fear.
Whether it was a curse or anything else, Bernice possessed the power to resolve it easily—yet she was forbidden from touching even a single hair.
It was a cruel fate given to the man named Zeto, an inescapable destiny.
It was the worst.
Bernice began to sob once more.
Whenever she thought of Zeto, emotions surged up and tears kept leaking out.
“Saintess…”
Ecklin could only feel puzzled.
Even if she had ruined the induction ceremony… was it something to be this sad about? It seemed far too early for them to be at the point where they couldn’t live without each other.
That was what she was thinking.
Eventually, the frustrated Ecklin drew her sword.
“Saintess, if you’re going to keep acting like this, let’s just go meet him. How long are you going to sit here waiting endlessly?”
“Go meet him…? But he’s at the academy…”
Bernice reacted to Ecklin’s tempting suggestion.
“…We can just disguise ourselves or something.”
“Disguise…? But… do I even have the right to go see him…”
“You are the master of the knight order. You are also the master of the honorary knight Zeto. Don’t you have more than enough qualification?”
At Ecklin’s answer, Bernice nodded.
Ecklin continued with her arms crossed.
“If you made a mistake, you can ask for forgiveness… and treat him even better from now on. This incident didn’t completely sever your connection with Zeto, did it?”
“From now on… from now on…”
Bernice repeated Ecklin’s words.
She could not defy the cruel fate given to Zeto, but as Ecklin said, she could still treat him well.
Bernice thought it would be right to make him as happy as possible.
Though she didn’t know how long that could last.
Still, Bernice felt that this was the best she could do.
“…I was thinking like a fool. Thank you, Ecklin.”
Only then did Bernice regain her energy.
“Hah, really… If you’re thankful, eat your food first.”
Ecklin turned her head away from her and scratched her head awkwardly. No matter what, Ecklin was someone who greatly respected and cared for Bernice.
Seeing Bernice so hopelessly in love with Zeto made her feel a little bitter, but if Bernice was happy, that was enough for her.