Chapter 165: Dragon's Eye, Human Heart (29)
Chapter 165: Dragon's Eye, Human Heart (29)
Lately, I had been visiting the temple quite often.
In the past, it was a given since I was constantly getting injured. These days, however, I hadn't sustained any wounds worth mentioning.
Thanks to my skills improving by leaps and bounds over the last two months, the number of times I got hurt had decreased significantly.
For starters, there weren't many people within the Academy who could actually threaten me at my current level.
It might be a different story if we were talking about the professors or the top-ranked students of each year. But aside from them, it was hard to find anyone—even in this Academy that had scraped together geniuses from across the continent—who could overwhelm me in actual combat, given how many times I had crossed the line between life and death.
That was just how terrifying real-world experience could be.
Despite that, the frequency of my visits to the temple remained much the same as before. I seemed to drop by roughly once every two days.
The reason was simple.
The Saintess kept summoning me.
Sometimes she provided important information, but more often than not, I’d arrive only to find ourselves engaged in trivial small talk. It was an outcome that frequently made me feel like the walk to the temple hadn't been worth the effort.
If we were just going to chat, it didn't matter where we met. There was no reason for me to go through the trouble of coming all the way to the temple.
So, one day, I had asked her point-blank.
I suggested that we might as well set a date at a tea shop or somewhere else. Every time I did, the Saintess’s reaction was always the same.
"…If I do that, you won't come."
She would answer in a prim, slightly hurt voice, her face flushing a faint red.
Hearing that, I fell into deep thought.
Come to think of it, there was a time when the Saintess used to subtly pop up wherever I went.
Back then, I had ignored her several times because I was busy, and it seemed those hurt feelings had curdled into a desire for revenge over time.
A tea shop was one thing, but the temple housed the Saintess’s private quarters—a secretive space.
Naturally, it wasn't just idle gossip that was shared there; vital information changed hands as well. This was why I couldn't simply ignore her requests.
Of course, whenever I vented this theory to Yuren, he would only look at me with eyes full of utter patheticism.
It was unfair.
It seemed Yuren’s faith in the Saintess was so deep that he couldn't fathom her engaging in such petty retaliation.
However, explaining the depth and breadth of this misunderstanding would require far too much effort. So, I decided to let Yuren believe whatever he wanted to believe.
After all, even if the truth is covered in mud, it is bound to be revealed someday.
*
Even though I felt like every other visit to the temple was a waste of time, today was actually worth the trip.
The words coming out of her mouth seemed to be quite important information.
"Lady Ruphesia has requested a meeting of the Disciplinary Committee. Since the Princess egged her on, follow-up measures are bound to ensue."
"Hmm."
I let out a low hum, crossing my arms as I listened.
We were in the temple's examination room.
The Saintess, who should have been treating patients here, had been calling me to this room whenever she had spare time lately.
I wondered if she thought of me as some kind of boredom-killing snack.
Of course, it wasn't a bad experience for me either.
Even now, the Saintess was propping up her luscious breasts with one arm. Thanks to that, her already prominent curves were emphasized even more.
It seemed her shoulders were stiff; apparently, even a body tempered by the Holy Kingdom Secret Martial Art found it difficult to withstand that weight.
It was a magnificent sight for the eyes. The Saintess, for her part, maintained a nonchalant expression as if this were just a fragment of her daily life.
Twirling a lock of hair around her finger with her free hand, she looked somewhat bored. There was even a hint of delinquency in her listless gaze.
It was a look that didn't suit a symbol of benevolence and diligence.
However, even seeing the Saintess like this, I only shook my head a few times. We were already past the point of formalities, having seen each other's true selves.
I preferred this over her putting on an act.
After a moment of silence, I finally spoke up.
"…That’s a problem."
"It is a problem. Your expulsion is halfway confirmed."
The Saintess sighed deeply as she spoke. The hand that had been twirling her hair dropped down.
"What were you actually thinking? No matter how you look at it, you didn't have to blow off his limbs just because he slapped someone."
"Limbs? I'll have you know I left him one leg—"
"…Regardless!"
Drowning out my voice as I tried to plead my case, the Saintess slammed her hand onto the table in front of her.
Every time her palm struck the surface, the tea inside the cups jumped uniformly. Yet, not a single drop spilled outside the cups—it was a feat of divine skill.
She truly was a master of the Holy Kingdom's secret arts.
Despite my admiration, the Saintess’s scolding continued.
"At this rate, are you going to bury an axe in the Princess's shoulder next? You do realize that even as a wielder of Dragon Blood Runes, you'd be in deep trouble if that happened, right?!"
Because the Saintess’s voice was laced with underlying worry, I couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
I didn't intend to go that far, no matter how reckless I might seem.
Splashing water on her was a serious offense, but making a member of the Imperial family bleed was a matter on a completely different level. It was an issue that could be linked to 'assassination of royalty.'
Of course, royals were the type to die off like flies in the shadows of power struggles. But no matter how blinded by power people were, they didn't go around assassinating royalty in public.
The royals were those who carried the Emperor's blood; therefore, each of their lives was directly linked to the authority of the Imperial Household.
A person doesn't die from being splashed with water. But once they start bleeding, the story changes.
Bleeding means that, depending on the opponent's intent, they could die. No matter how lenient the Imperial Household was toward the Academy, they would never tolerate that.
That was one of the reasons I hadn't buried an axe in her shoulder despite the Princess's continuous provocations the other day.
Though, the biggest reason could be summarized as 'I didn't feel like it.'
The sight of the Princess trying so hard to instill fear in me, even going to unreasonable lengths, was more pathetic than annoying. Every word she spoke seemed like a desperate plea for me to fear her.
To me, she just looked like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum.
If the Princess actually started putting her plans into action, that might be different, but it was a problem that would be resolved within a week anyway.
There was absolutely no reason to get caught up in her provocations.
As I retraced my thoughts, my gaze drifted toward the Saintess. Her pale pink eyes held a worry she couldn't quite hide.
A bitter smile formed on my lips.
Despite everything, it seemed we had grown quite fond of each other. Just meeting her eyes made my heart feel warm.
"Don't worry, that won't happen. And as for the Disciplinary Committee... honestly, I'm not sure, but let's think about it in a week. Tell Lady Ruphesia I'm sorry."
"I think she'd be even more terrified if you apologized..."
The Saintess merely tilted her head and muttered something incomprehensible at my words.
Then, her expression shifted as if she had just remembered something.
Soon, her suspicious gaze turned toward me.
"…Come to think of it, are you still going around beating up kids? Students have been coming in lately with a bone or two broken, but they won't say a word about who did it."
I shook my head at her question.
My principle was to only beat up those who dared to challenge me. And recently, there had been absolutely no one challenging me.
In fact, with rumors spreading as far as they had, it would be more surprising if someone still tried to mess with me.
Who knew if the price of that courage would be their limbs or their life?
It was an explanation the Saintess had no choice but to accept, despite the distrustful look she had given me at first. She nodded as if that made sense.
"I suppose so. If someone still messes with you after hearing those rumors, they're the ones who need treatment. Mostly for mental issues."
Isn't that a bit of an exaggerated assessment? I thought, my expression turning a bit sour. Regardless, the Saintess just gave me a relieved smile.
Her shoulders squared as her mood lifted. Her chest became even more alluring in that posture, but the Saintess still didn't seem to care.
In the end, I was the one who felt embarrassed first.
I cleared my throat and slightly averted my gaze. The Saintess looked at me with a puzzled expression before she seemed to realize where my eyes had been directed.
"Mmm," the Saintess hummed, her eyes narrowing.
She slowly stood up, leaning her upper body across the table toward me, and whispered in my ear.
"…Do you want to touch them?"
"Yes."
Naturally, my answer was instantaneous.