Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: What the Hell Is Iron Blood?
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Even as the cold wind blew...
Nameless was sweating bullets from his forehead nonstop, as if something was unbearably hot.
"What are you doing? I told you to keep talking."
Nameless chewed on his lips for a long while before cautiously stepping closer to me and extending his hand.
"...Master."
"Yes, I'm listening, aren't I?"
I took another step back from Nameless and flashed a bright smile.
As the distance opened up again...
Nameless's hand naturally missed its target, floating aimlessly in the air.
Nameless blinked, staring at his own hand.
A moment later, his entire body began to stiffen like stone.
"..."
"Hmph."
I glanced sideways at him and haughtily turned my head away.
"Lucius, what on earth are those two doing...?"
"Saintess, as I said before, you shouldn't meddle in other people's love lives."
Some utterly incomprehensible chatter came from behind, but I quickly tuned it out.
Right now, I was far more disappointed in Nameless.
...Though I couldn't quite put my finger on why, exactly.
"Mm."
I nodded to myself.
...
-Heavenly Nameless
I stole a glance at Master, who was walking about two steps ahead of me.
...Surely, there was still a chance.
It wasn't baseless nonsense.
Look, even now, Master wasn't pulling completely away—just keeping a bit of distance while walking side by side, right?
I'd never seen this exact situation before, but my instincts told me so.
There was still a chance.
...Of course.
It might just be the human instinct to put a positive spin on a crisis.
But if I didn't think this way, I'd probably collapse right there on the spot.
Soon, I steeled my expression, nodded firmly, and cautiously approached Master.
"..."
A part of me worried she might widen the gap again this time, but...
Fortunately, Master just watched me close the distance slowly, let out a small sigh, and kept looking straight ahead.
...That was a good sign, right?
I bit my lip hard.
Slowly, stealthily, I kept drawing nearer until our hands were almost touching.
Then I squeezed my eyes shut and carefully spoke up.
"Um... Master."
"What is it?"
Master's voice was flat, devoid of inflection.
Anxious, I cracked my eyes open to peek at her expression.
It was that same look from before.
Her eyes lifeless, only the corners of her mouth turned up in a somewhat chilling smile.
...My anxiety spiked.
I rolled my eyes frantically, thinking hard, then shut them tight and bowed at the waist.
"I'm sorry."
"..."
I was insanely on edge.
I'd almost prefer if Master scolded me—just say something instead of staying silent like this. It was driving me to the brink of passing out.
Then, after a long silence, Master uttered a single magical word that made me abandon every thought I'd had up to that point.
A word that drove me utterly mad.
"Sorry for what?"
My mind went blank.
As I gaped dumbly at her, Master stepped closer and tilted her head down toward me.
Her lifeless, pitch-black eyes filled my vision.
"What exactly did you do wrong?"
"..."
I had no clue what to say, so I just worked my lips soundlessly.
...Truth be told, I felt utterly wronged, on the verge of death from it.
I didn't even know what I'd done wrong, yet my own master was giving me the cold shoulder with an expression I'd never seen before...
It made me want to rip out my aching heart.
I bit my lip fiercely, eyes darting as I carefully chose my words.
My instincts screamed that one wrong answer now, and Master would treat me like this for days...
Just imagining it made my head throb, so I squeezed my eyes shut.
As I racked my brain for what felt like ages, a memory surfaced—something Master had once told me.
'There can be no lies between master and disciple.'
Though I was still hiding things from her even now...
That was like driving a nail into her heart, so I'd set that aside.
To defuse this situation, I'd borrow her words and be honest with my thoughts.
I'd dress it up a bit, but...
Basically, I'd just admit I had no idea.
"I... I don't know..."
"So you're apologizing to me when you don't think you've done anything wrong?"
The faint upturn of Master's mouth flattened completely.
Cold sweat poured down my back.
In a panic, I shook my head vigorously and blurted out,
"No, that's not it!"
"Then what?"
"Well..."
...I was at a loss for words.
How could I answer when I didn't even know what I'd done?
Truth be told...
It wasn't that I had zero guesses...
I glanced at Master.
She waited expectantly, her mouth curved up again, as if anticipating what I'd say.
...Her eyes were still lifeless.
For some reason, the sight made my body tremble uncontrollably.
Who in their right mind would call that jealousy?
As I agonized over what to say to maybe lighten her mood even a little, a small sigh came from beside me.
I turned my shaky gaze toward the sound.
There stood Master, pressing her forehead and shaking her head slightly.
"...Enough. Tch. What am I even doing at my age?"
She flicked her hand dismissively, then grabbed my arm and pulled me to her side.
"Come here."
...Was it over?
My legs nearly buckled, but I held firm, not wanting to show her any more pathetic weakness.
"Lucius, seriously, what are those two doing...?"
"Saintess, I already told you—don't meddle in other people's love lives."
More baffling chatter from behind, but I ignored it.
Right now, gratitude toward Master overwhelmed me.
...Though I wasn't entirely sure why.
I beamed and gripped her hand in return.
"Thank you."
"Mm, sure."
...
-Heaven Cleaver
A towering castle perched atop steep cliffs.
The knight—no, guard—standing sentinel before the low, territory-marking walls was a far cry from the usual wall sentries I'd seen.
His posture was impeccable, no wasted movement, and snow had piled on his shoulders from standing so rigidly, yet not enough to hinder him.
His stance passed muster, at least.
I narrowed my eyes, scanning him from head to toe.
"Ho..."
Not overflowing with raw power, but his internal energy was evenly distributed throughout his body—a testament to long years of training.
As I sized up the knight...
Lucius stepped forward, holding out a paper emblazoned with a crest, and approached him.
"The three of you wait here a moment."
"Sure, thanks."
Elia smiled and saw Lucius off.
I waved off Elia's send-off and sidled up to her, murmuring softly.
"Elia."
"Yes?"
Elia hadn't expected me to approach her first; her eyes widened slightly as she tilted her head.
Hm, maybe I should've talked to her more often...?
Now I felt oddly guilty.
"Ahem. Hm."
Clearing my throat awkwardly, I spoke again.
"Can you tell me about this Iron Blood?"
"...Iron Blood, huh."
Elia nodded slightly, then tilted her head again, a question dawning on her.
"Nameless seemed to know her well—why not ask him?"
I glanced back at Nameless at her words.
He'd been creeping toward me but flinched and retreated to his spot.
"Tch. Hearing it from that guy just twists my gut for some reason."
I grimaced and finished, prompting Elia to cover her mouth and chuckle softly.
"...Why are you laughing?"
"Oh, nothing. You're just cute."
"..."
I really hated being called cute...
But snapping at Elia felt wrong, so I awkwardly turned away.
"Anyway, what kind of woman is this Iron Blood?"
"...Woman? Uh, no, that's not—"
Elia shook her head lightly and sighed.
"Well... how should I put this...?"
"I don't need details. Just give me a simple rundown of her personality."
I'd already heard plenty from Nameless about how amazing she was—my ears were numb to it.
My curiosity now was purely innocent.
Someone who commanded knights guarding these walls had to be impressive.
I nodded expectantly, waiting for Elia's answer.
What came out was utterly baffling.
"Um... She can be a bit... infuriating to talk to...?"
"...?"
"I-I probably shouldn't say this, but... a little arrogant...? Well, she has every right to be, but... it's hard to explain..."
What the hell was that supposed to mean?