The Protagonist is Wary of Me!
Heading to the temple to inform the saintess of what I'd uncovered, I recalled the enigmatic woman I'd met today.
Ilisha von Airvalt.
It was clear she was showing interest in me. She'd singled me out from that massive crowd, and even when taking Yeon as her disciple, she'd glanced my way while adding that condition.
The problem was, I couldn't tell if she was an enemy, an ally, or something else entirely.
All I knew about her was that she was the only daughter of the Airvalt family, that she was sickly, and that after her death, her corpse would be exploited to bring down the North's great barrier wall.
I had no idea about her personality, her strength, her speech patterns, or anything else. Nor why she'd taken a shine to me specifically.
Information insufficient. What was she, really? What did she want?
I had far too little to go on for any judgment.
Clenching my fist tight, I tried to shake her smile from my mind.
So it wouldn't color my assessment of her.
But I had to admit it. Purely on looks alone, she was breathtakingly beautiful.
Her aquamarine eyes, as vividly blue as if meticulously carved; her hair, white as silk woven from moonlight.
Her delicate features and pale skin made her seem less like a living, breathing human and more like a masterpiece sculpted from marble by a master artisan.
Considering her frail health, though, glasswork might be the more apt comparison.
And above all... her figure.
...The sharp contours of her body, impossible to believe belonged to someone so sickly, lingered vividly before my eyes.
The only proofs of her Northern birth were the cute little ears atop her head and that somewhat rough-looking tail.
If those were hidden, no one would ever guess she hailed from the North.
She was worlds away from the burly, fierce image Northerners evoked.
Whether that stemmed from their beastly bloodlines passed down from ancestors or the harsh environment that demanded such toughness for survival was a long-standing debate among scholars.
To me, it was utterly pointless.
Shaking my head vigorously, I tried to banish her image from my mind.
But the more I tried, the sharper it became.
That fragile, breakable form kept shimmering before me.
Close enough to touch, if I just reached out.
...Wait a second.
That's not a mirage. It's the real Ilisha.
"Ilisha? Why are you here..."
Was I the only one caught off guard? She greeted me with surprising calm.
"Oh, Ern."
She waved happily upon seeing me, and following her hand, her white-tipped black tail swished playfully. I tried not to stare, but my eyes kept drifting there.
"...Want to see the tail?"
She must have noticed my gaze, because she wagged it even more vigorously.
"Ah, no, it's not that. It just... moves. So..."
For some reason, whenever I stood before her, I couldn't control my emotions.
I'd thought they'd withered away long ago, back when no one could protect anyone.
...Remembering the past felt like plunging my heart into icy water.
Only then could I regain my composure.
"I see. How about this, then? The ears move too."
She perked them up and flattened them playfully, grinning mischievously.
"Impressive."
"Huh? Your reaction's gone all tepid. So tails are more your thing?"
"It's not like that, Ilisha..."
It took a little while to get her to stop teasing me.
Seeing her like this made her interest in me feel like genuine goodwill.
...But why?
Whatever the case, she was someone I had to protect.
Yet I hadn't done anything to earn her favor, so why show it to me? I couldn't make sense of it.
She was kind to everyone else too, but something about how she treated me felt... different.
It was too peculiar to dismiss as just my imagination.
"So... why are you here at the temple, Ilisha?"
Unable to probe deeper right then, I asked about her reason for coming all the way here.
"I got hurt? Using aura back there must've torn some meridians. Came for Cecilia to heal me. You hurt too, Ern?"
Her nonchalant attitude despite torn meridians left me speechless.
Did she stay so calm because her meridians tore every time she tried to use ether?
Why didn't she cherish her own body?
What was a sword to her, that she'd swing it even at the cost of her life?
...No, more importantly.
Cecilia?
Cecilia was the saintess's nickname.
Had Ilisha already gotten close enough to use it? And she'd only been at the academy for a day?
I'd have to ask Cecilia what happened with Ilisha.
I knew it might be rude, but with her allegiance unclear...
I had to keep her from interfering in my plans as much as possible.
——
I'd teased him and even showed off my ultimate charm to seem harmless, but Ern eyed me warily to the end.
His mouth smiled, but his eyes told the truth.
It got especially bad when I called Cecilia "Cecilia."
I kind of regretted it. If I'd just said "Saintess Cecilia," he might not have tensed up so much.
I wanted him to see me in a more positive light, after all.
Not that I minded, really.
Wariness meant he was at least aware of me.
The worst was indifference.
Imagine greeting Ern only for him to pretend not to see me and walk past...
...I'd probably resort to self-harm blackmail just to get his attention.
Anyone would have to look if I was vomiting blood while clutching their ankle.
"...No. I'm not hurt. I just need to talk with the saintess... Cecilia for a bit."
Anyway.
Now that I knew he was on guard, I shouldn't keep him too long.
I wanted him to remember me fondly.
That way, it'd be all the easier to rip his heart out later.
"Alone with Cecilia, huh. Hehe. Good luck, Ern."
I said something to make him freak out, and as expected, he reacted honestly.
"No, it's not like that..."
"I know. Just teasing... cough, hack...!"
I tried to keep ribbing him with a sly grin, but my body betrayed me, squeezing my lungs in violent coughs.
Clutching my solar plexus in agony like my lungs were shriveling, Ern asked if I was okay, worried.
"...Hah, so what if I'm not? The one who can fix it is inside."
To his stunned gaze, I asked permission.
"Mind if I see Cecilia first? It... hurts."
"It's not that urgent, so go ahead."
Thanking him, I went to find Cecilia.
"Ilisha...? Didn't I see you just yesterday?"
"Well..."
I gave her a rough rundown of events, and she closed her eyes, breathing deeply in and out.
"I've healed countless people, but cases like yours—hurt two days in a row—are rare enough to count on one hand."
"Ehehe... not a compliment, huh?"
"Of course not, Ilisha."
She placed her hand on my arm and healed me.
A gentle energy flowed through my body, mending the torn meridians. Her blessing pushed back the ever-clinging chill.
Ah, yes... this is it. Now I can finally breathe.
Only the second time, and I was already hooked.
"Please treasure your body more, Ilisha. I don't know how you see it, but there are people who grieve every time you get hurt."
I was about to ask if I could visit anytime, but she spoke first.
"...Does that include you, Cecilia?"
I set aside my other question to ask what I really wanted to know.
"Yes. Me too."
She smiled softly in answer.
You grieve when I get hurt too, huh.
...Sorry, Cecilia, but I think I'll be getting hurt a bit more often from now on.
If wounding this useless body buys her attention.
I'll gladly tear it to shreds.
"Does God grieve too?"
Wanting to hear her voice more, I played up my coquetry, and she indulged me kindly.
"God is the father of all things, so surely He sheds tears for His child's pain."
Father of all things, huh.
Why would someone like that make a body like this?
I kept the bitter words locked deep inside.
I didn't want to trouble her.
"Thanks, Cecilia. If it's not rude... can I come whenever I miss you?"
"Of course. I'll always be here."
Only after hearing that directly from her could I step aside for Ern.
"Good luck."
Not forgetting to tease him one last time, I left the temple...
Or not.
Sitting in a chair as if in prayer to the gods, I focused every nerve on listening in on Cecilia and Ern's conversation.
I wanted to meddle in whatever Ern was planning.
Perking my ears, straining to catch his words from inside, I finally heard it.
"—...I've found a clue to track the demon worshippers."
What time point this was.
And where Ern's next destination would be.