The Scorched Saint's Awakening
After being saved by Actor, the ruler of the rift, the 5★ Scorched Saint Selene decided to serve him for the rest of her life. The catalyst had been loyalty alone. Selene had never harbored romantic feelings for Actor. There had been no reason to. She understood that such emotions were unbecoming of a proper retainer. Because she thought that way, Selene had convinced herself that the change in her heart was merely the result of adapting to a new dimension and the appearance of dangerous elements like Mirien and Karne.
‘Why are they dangerous elements?’
Yet Selene had come to realize something. She had sworn loyalty to her lord. She believed her reason for existing was to follow him, stay by his side, and obey his commands. Then—
If Mirien sat on her lord’s lap.
If Karne claimed to be her lord’s mother.
Why did those things stir such displeasure in her? What possible reason could there be for her lord taking in others, trusting them, and being with them to upset Selene’s mood?
Coincidentally, Selene knew from Mirien how to describe such feelings.
‘—Jealousy.’
Selene was confused. She could neither deny nor suppress the emotions raging in her chest as if they might burst forth. In all the time she had devoted her loyalty to Actor, she had never once felt this way.
‘Could it be because my lord has become mortal…?’
She could vaguely guess the reason. Unlike in the past when she had possessed divine authority, her lord now inhabited a human body. In other words, someone could ‘possess’ him. Had Selene’s subconscious been trying to monopolize her lord ever since he became a mortal being? The fact that she now saw the magic sack before her as an obstacle and a rival was proof of that.
“Hey… Selene, say something. You really…”
“Be quiet, magic sack. One more word and I’ll tear that flimsy mouth of yours apart.”
“U-ugh.”
Even Mirien, who would normally have sneered and provoked her, fell silent upon realizing Selene’s condition was far from good.
Selene sank back into thought.
“…”
Simply standing by her lord’s side had been enough. Obeying his commands and following his will had been satisfying. But what about now? The moment her lord’s gaze turned elsewhere, did it not feel as though a needle had been driven into her heart? It was not because of the internal burns from the flames.
‘This is not loyalty.’
It was a stickier, more instinctive emotion, one devoid of reason. Selene swallowed. A hot heat washed over her heart. Only then did she realize it. At some point, the feelings she had harbored were no longer those of a simple retainer’s devotion.
‘Perhaps.’
——Perhaps I am not serving my lord, but rather…
“Ah, there you are.”
At that moment, a familiar voice broke through her thoughts. Selene, who would normally have dropped to one knee to prove her loyalty, could not even turn her head toward the direction her lord was approaching from.
“Uh, Actor. Wouldn’t it be better if you came back a little later?”
Mirien rambled. She had noticed that the change in Selene was by no means a good sign. But Actor had no way of knowing that. He smiled awkwardly and pulled a long bottle from his robes.
“I finally got the Elixir.”
“…”
“Here, Selene.”
A long glass bottle was suddenly held out. Golden liquid sloshed inside the transparent vessel. It was an Elixir.
“…M-My lord.”
“It’s yours. You can’t use your strength properly because of the internal injuries.”
It was only receiving a single bottle. Even so, Selene’s heart pounded wildly. She had just become aware of her feelings. Her lord’s hand was too close. Even Selene, whose entire body was surrounded by flames, felt as though she could sense her lord’s faint body heat at this distance.
“…Th-thank you.”
Selene forced herself to reach out and accept the Elixir. The fingertips gripping the glass bottle trembled slightly. When she lifted her head slightly, her eyes met her lord’s.
“Eek.”
The moment their gazes met, she hurriedly lowered her head.
“…Selene?”
Actor tilted his head and called her name. It was dangerous. He should not be calling her name right now. Selene took a step back and carefully cradled the Elixir against her chest. The golden liquid carried her lord’s warmth. The warmth her lord had shown her had been nothing more than mercy. Selene now felt as though she could not live without Actor’s mercy. That was far removed from the simple loyalty of a retainer.
5★ Scorched Saint Selene uses 4☆ Elixir.
※Caution※ This item is single-use. It will disappear upon use.
Would you like to use the 4☆ Elixir?
[Y / N]
“So it leaves the decision to me.”
I placed my hand on the Y button.
Ding!
5★ Scorched Saint Selene’s status ailment 「Primordial Flames」 has been cured.
The Elixir’s effect was tremendous. I breathed a sigh of relief after confirming from the base management screen that the red arrow icon hovering over the upper left of Selene’s portrait had disappeared. With her status ailment gone, Selene could be considered to be in perfect condition.
“Selene, how’s your body?”
“…I’m fine. It’s all thanks to you, my lord. How could I ever repay this kindness…”
Selene’s voice, which had been hoarse from the flames, became a perfect, beautiful tone the moment she drank the Elixir. Even Mirien, who had been sitting beside her watching with great interest, was impressed.
“Actor, I’m confident I can drink potions well too.”
Mirien spouted nonsense. This Elixir was an incredibly precious item. I had wanted to obtain one more if possible to use as insurance for the upcoming battle with Asteria, but after hearing from Jeon Tae-min, it seemed that even producing this single bottle required an enormous amount of effort. I would have to be satisfied with having cured Selene’s status ailment.
“Good. We’ve taken care of our business here.”
I looked around. One person was missing.
“Where’s Karne?”
“She said she’d go scout the area. Unlike me, she can fly without using magic, so it’s convenient in many ways.”
“Is that so? Then let’s wait until Karne returns. There’s something I need to ask of her.”
“What is it?”
Mirien asked.
“I’m thinking of going to Busan.”
“Busan? What’s that place?”
“It’s a bit further south from here.”
Jeon Tae-min, the leader of the Daejeon Clan of Awakened, had given me information about the Busan Clan. According to the intel, the Busan Clan had grown in power and was preparing for war. I couldn’t be sure if it was true. It was possible Jeon Tae-min had lied to insult me. Or perhaps he simply wanted to use me to eliminate a rival.
“Either way, it’s worth checking out. We’ve come all the way to Daejeon, after all.”
Above all, I was curious about the identity of the S-class Awakened in Busan.
“Let’s move first. If we stay here, we might get discovered. Let’s wait in the car we parked outside the city.”
“Okay. But I’m sitting in the seat next to Actor.”
As usual, I tried to peel Mirien off as she clung to me and started walking. Before leaving the alley, I looked back. Selene was standing still, holding the empty Elixir bottle.
“Selene?”
“…”
“Selene, what’s wrong?”
After calling her twice, she finally came to her senses and flinched in surprise, her shoulders trembling.
“…Did something happen with the Elixir?”
“N-no. Nothing. The Elixir was… perfect.”
According to the system, the Elixir had functioned perfectly. So why was Selene acting like that? Was she having trouble adapting to her body now that the internal injuries were gone?
“You’re sure you’re okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
Selene forced a smile and nodded vigorously. Every one of her gestures was unlike her usual self. Mirien placed a hand on my cheek as I furrowed my brow and forcibly turned my head.
“Actor, I recommend not talking to her right now.”
Mirien spoke while nestled in my arms.
“Why?”
“Hmm… How should I put it? It’s like a doll becoming human.”
Mirien gave a cryptic answer, and I tilted my head.
“Something like that exists.”
But before I could ask for an explanation, Mirien flashed a mischievous smile and turned her head away.
*
“You want me to detect the south?”
After returning to the car, I asked Karne, the Mother of Ill Omens, to cast a tracking spell. She closed her eyes and focused her sixth sense, then opened them in less than a minute.
“Hmm. I can certainly feel a powerful disaster’s energy.”
“Can you tell me more?”
“It’s a water attribute. That’s all I can tell.”
“…Hmm.”
“Don’t worry. I said it was powerful, but it’s nothing compared to us.”
“A 4★ disaster, then.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
According to Karne’s tracking, it seemed clear that there was indeed an S-class Awakened in Busan. If that was the case, I needed to check what kind of person that Awakened was and whether they were preparing for war as Jeon Tae-min had said. Just as one should tap a stone bridge before crossing it, it was better to identify potential dangers in advance.
“In the end, I’ll have to go to Busan.”
After telling Karne, I took the wheel. Our destination was further south. Through the rearview mirror, my eyes met Selene’s as she happened to be looking this way.
“…”
After a brief moment of eye contact, it was Selene who abruptly turned her head away first.
“Hah.”
I had thought that giving her the Elixir would make us closer, but it seemed that had been nothing more than my own wishful thinking. It was the same with Mirien, and the same with Selene. The hearts of disasters were truly difficult to understand.