Chapter 102: The Lord is With Us (23)
Chapter 102: The Lord is With Us (23)
My reunion with Senior Elsie was brief.
Before we could even exchange more than a few words, she had already bolted out of the room.
I was just about to ask how she was doing, but she rushed out of the infirmary in a flash. I wanted to check if she was hurt anywhere, but as always, she was a woman who marched to the beat of her own drum.
I suppose that’s part of her charm, I thought, looking down at the wound on my abdomen.
Pus and blood were caked on the bandages.
Wounds inflicted by demonic beasts do not heal easily, no matter how much divine power is poured into them. Usually, things were different when a Saintess was involved, but the fact that pus was still seeping out pointed to one undeniable truth.
That monkey demonic beast was strong.
It meant that even with the Saintess’s high-purity divine power, it took time to purify the demonic energy. Naturally, I had to conclude that the demonic energy used by the beast was just as intense.
Despite my efforts to remain stealthy, it was an opponent whose presence I couldn't even sense. My senses had been sharpened to the limit lately, yet it was at a level that could deceive even me.
I didn't know for sure, but it might even be a named-class beast.
Then again, it would have to be at that level for me to feel a genuine threat to my life. According to the letter, it seemed a life-or-death struggle had indeed taken place.
I clicked my tongue, my eyes lingering sadly on the wound.
I had been overworking my body far too much lately. If these injuries kept accumulating, I might have to endure another lecture from the Saintess.
Well, now that our relationship had grown distant, perhaps she wouldn't... or so I was thinking.
"…Are you an idiot?"
The voice was laced with irritation. My eyes flicked toward the entrance of the infirmary.
Standing there was a woman with silver hair and pale pink eyes. She was a woman whose exceptionally prominent curves left a lasting impression.
It was the Saintess.
She bit her lip, then walked toward me without hesitation. She immediately grabbed me by the collar and whispered.
"I told you, didn't I? That from now on, you might not be able to make a full recovery."
A sweet scent brushed past the tip of my nose. Her eyelashes, trembling with rage, tickled my vision.
It was an unexpected reaction. I thought she’d be lucky if she didn't just snort and say I got what I deserved, but right now, the Saintess looked genuinely furious.
Apparently, her personal feelings and her feelings toward a patient were two separate matters. I raised both hands in surrender to her forceful intimidation.
"…I couldn't exactly let Senior Elsie die, could I?"
"You should have been more careful!"
"I am deeply reflecting on that point."
The Saintess glared at me with smoldering eyes for a while before clicking her tongue and releasing my collar with a shove.
Her physical strength was no joke. I had heard from Yuren that the Saintess also practiced martial arts, and it seemed her level was quite formidable.
Part of me actually wanted to see her skills in action.
However, if I were to ask for a spar, I’d undoubtedly be met with her cold gaze. I couldn't exactly just charge at her recklessly either; it was a difficult dilemma.
As I smacked my lips in regret, the Saintess spread her hands as if she found me pathetic. Her palms, facing the ceiling, looked like the petals of a flower.
"Hmph, honestly, you're so unhelpful. Everyone, one after another, gets hurt however they please and then comes crawling to me for healing. Do they think I'm some kind of pouch of divine power…?"
Her grumbling voice was thick with dissatisfaction. The Saintess had been through a lot in many ways, so I could understand her feelings.
However, a 'pouch of divine power,' huh?
My eyes slunk down toward the area below the Saintess’s neck. I recalled the overwhelming presence and the elastic curves of her chest—the soft yet squishy sensation I felt when it touched my shoulder last time.
The Saintess’s eyes turned cold.
"…Where are you looking?"
Ahem, cough. I managed to avert my gaze by faking a cough. The Saintess’s expression became even more pathetic as she spat out words of disapproval.
"You have a puncture wound in your abdomen and a serious injury where even some of your internal organs spilled out, yet your eyes still go there? Honestly, men are all the same. Dogs in heat."
"Tsk, tsk," she clicked her tongue, showing blatant contempt.
Even so, when I merely avoided her gaze and couldn't offer an excuse, she grew even more frustrated. She went as far as to prop up her voluminous breasts with her arms and thrust them forward.
"Fine, fine! If you want to see them so badly, look all you want! Seriously, I can't believe this…"
At this point, I started to get a little annoyed too.
Sure, it was my fault for getting hurt, but it was a choice I made to save Senior Elsie. I had no regrets, and strategically, it was the right decision.
Senior Elsie was currently the only combat mage among the forces staying at the orphanage. Reto was also a mage, but he was a theoretical magician; once a battle started, no one could replace Senior Elsie.
In that case, wasn't it more rational for me to take the risk?
Of course, stealing a glance at her chest was clearly my fault. But weren't those luscious breasts, which naturally drew a man's gaze, also to blame? After all, they were a masterpiece crafted by the Heavenly God Arus himself.
It was nonsense. It was the typical logic of a perpetrator used to justify a crime, but I decided to forget that fact for a moment.
A blunt voice shot out of my mouth.
"…Are you serious?"
"Ha," the Saintess snorted as if she couldn't believe it. Then came another look of contempt.
"Yes, yes. Do whatever you want. Just don't go getting yourself hurt on a whim anymore."
With that, the Saintess pointedly bent her upper body and pushed her chest forward. The curves of her bosom, which already filled my vision, became even more prominent.
Feeling a strange sense of competitiveness, I actually adjusted my posture and began to observe the Saintess’s breasts.
They were certainly large. How much elasticity was required for such voluminous breasts to maintain their shape? They felt like soft flesh, but there was a specific texture unique to breasts.
The sensation I felt through her clothes last time proved it. The day I would get to enjoy the touch of the Saintess’s breasts directly would likely never come, but I knew from indirect experience.
Not only the size, but the elasticity and texture were also excellent. It was while I was observing the Saintess’s breasts from this angle and that.
Though she had glared at me with a triumphant attitude at first, as time passed, a flush began to rise on her fair face.
After hesitating for a few minutes, the Saintess, her face now beet red, covered her chest with her arms.
"…S-Stop looking."
"Wait, didn't you tell me to look as much as I wanted?"
Having been enjoying the view of the Saintess’s divine power pouches with a pleasant mind, I asked back, feeling like a child who had been robbed of a toy.
The Saintess’s pink eyes had long since been stained with shame. She stammered.
"Y-You've seen enough by now!"
"I could look all day if I put my mind to it… Surely the Heavenly God's most beloved virgin wouldn't lie to a poor believer, would she?"
"N-No one has ever stared so intensely before! If this keeps up, I'll be a 'lewd woman' instead of a 'virgin'…!"
The Saintess’s voice trailed off in embarrassment, but having my competitive spirit ignited, I had no intention of letting her off the hook just yet.
I intended to make her feel at least as much shame as the contemptuous looks she had given me.
I clicked my tongue and spoke.
"Is it right to break a promise like that? If you want to blame someone, blame yourself from a few minutes ago. Now, move your arms and—AAAAARGH!"
But I couldn't finish my sentence.
Thwack! With the sound of leather being struck, a palm slammed into my back.
So much force was behind it that the shock reached my injury, and the stinging pain turned my brain white.
I immediately writhed and let out a scream. At that point, it was the Saintess who was flustered.
"A-A-Are you okay?! J-Just bear with the pain for now! If you twist your body, your wound might burst!"
Groaning, I directed a resentful gaze at the Saintess. She quickly avoided my eyes.
After hesitating, she eventually shouted.
"W-Well, who told you to stare so intensely?!"
"No, you were the one who told me to look, Saintess…"
"E-Enough of that! If you bring up this matter again, I'll have you hauled before a religious trial for blasphemy!"
I made a face of grievance, but there was nothing I could do. The Saintess held immense authority granted by the Heavenly God, and as the mere second son of a rural viscount, I had no choice but to obey.
Still, the Saintess must have felt guilty, as she tended to my wound with a much gentler attitude.
It seemed I would soon be able to move around. I asked the Saintess as she unwrapped the bandages from my injury.
"…Is that all you came for?"
The Saintess’s hands paused.
Her pink eyes turned toward me. I couldn't tell what she was thinking, but I let out a sigh first.
"I'm asking if anything happened while I was out."
A flicker of hesitation crossed the Saintess’s eyes. Then, she let out a long breath as if she had no choice.
"…You've only just woken up from a coma, and you're already that restless? There are plenty of people at the orphanage."
"I have to get my revenge."
I said that as I glanced at my abdomen, where the scar still remained.
A noble must return what they receive.
Whether it was a favor or a grudge, it was the same. If the opponent put a blade through my stomach, I had to do the same to them.
The Saintess stared at my eyes, which were sunken deep with fighting spirit, for a long time before finally speaking.
"…Sister Delphine encountered the monkey demonic beast. In the forest."
Fortunately, it seemed they had found a lead.
That very day, I left the infirmary with my sword and hand axe strapped to my waist.
It was time to begin my revenge.
By the time I finished my treatment and left the infirmary, it was already sunset.
It seemed I had been treated for several more hours after Senior Elsie left.
Even that was only possible because she was the Saintess; I was told that even a high priest of the Holy Kingdom would have needed at least a week to treat such a wound.
Having the Saintess around was convenient. Especially for someone like me who got hurt often, it was better to have a capable priest by my side.
Her joining us was a stroke of luck in many ways. I was a bit annoyed at first, but thinking coldly, the Saintess was a very powerful asset.
If she hadn't been here, I would have died two days ago. The nearest temple from here was a half-day's ride away.
It wasn't a distance I could have traveled with a hole through my abdomen. I moved my feet, inwardly thanking the Heavenly God for the luck he had bestowed upon me.
However, the orphanage was strangely quiet. The children were glancing warily at the adults, and neither Celine nor Seria was in sight.
I tilted my head as I walked.
I was just thinking it would be nice to run into someone when a man with a troubled expression caught my eye. Curly brown hair—it was my close friend, Reto.
He had his hand on his forehead as if he had a headache. I immediately raised my hand and called out to him.
"Reto!"
"…Oh, it's you, Ian. Are you allowed to be out of bed already?"
Hearing his somewhat exhausted voice, I felt curious, but I nodded first to reassure him.
"She said it's fine as long as I don't overdo it. I'll manage somehow, right?"
"What if you ruin your body? Celine will lose her mind."
It sounded like a scolding, but it was just Reto’s unique way of expressing concern. He was a mage, and his personality was so twisted that he couldn't even convey worry honestly.
Since I already knew that well, I didn't feel hurt by his words. I just immediately asked him the question that had been on my mind.
"Speaking of which, where's Celine? No, where are all the adults? The kids are unusually quiet too…"
At my words, Reto’s brow furrowed again. He groaned and sighed before speaking to me.
"Well, the thing is… Senior Delphine and Senior Elsie got into a clash…"
"…What? How?"
For me, who was just about to go find Senior Delphine, it was like a bolt from the blue. I had planned to get information about the monkey demonic beast from her and combine it with the information I had to find a lead.
But for Senior Delphine and Senior Elsie to suddenly clash.
It had only been a few hours since Senior Elsie left the infirmary and I followed.
At my question, which was laced with bewilderment, Reto slowly began his story.
"I don't know the details. But when I started watching…"
*
Splash! Water sprayed everywhere. The droplets shattered and sparkled in the lazy afternoon sunlight.
The one who had suddenly been drenched was a woman with golden hair. For a moment, her eyes went blank.
A blood-red gaze turned toward the doll-like girl, as if unable to believe what had happened.
It was a small girl wearing a large pointed hat. Her blue eyes, which matched her brown hair, held a murderous light. And her dainty lips parted.
What leaked out from between them was a voice colder than anything else.
"…Who do you think you are, daring to insult Lord Ian?"
The identities of the two women were the greatest rivals of the Academy: Delphine and Elsie.