༺ Eyes of a Dragon and the Human Heart (29) ༻
Recently, I’ve been visiting the temple quite often.
In the past, it was a common occurrence due to my frequent injuries. However, as of late, I haven’t sustained any significant injuries.
Thanks to my rapid improvement over the last two months, I have been getting hurt much less.
As of now, there were few in the academy who pose a real threat to me.
Of course, this may not apply to the professors, or the top and second-ranking students of each year. But, apart from them, it was difficult to find anyone in the academy, an institute known for gathering the most talented individuals from across the continent, who could overpower me in actual combat, given my experience in surviving numerous life-and-death situations.
That just showed the terrifying nature of actual combat experience.
Yet, despite this, my frequency of visiting the temple hasn’t changed much. I still found myself going there about every other day.
The reason for this was simple.
The Saintess kept summoning me.
Occasionally, she would share some important information, but more often than not, when I arrived, it would be for trivial small talk. It felt like a waste of effort making the journey to the temple.
If it was just for casual conversation, any place would have sufficed. I failed to see why I had to go through the trouble of visiting the temple.
So, one day, I directly asked the Saintess.
Why couldn’t we just meet at a cafe or some other place? Every time I proposed this, her reaction was always the same.
“…B-But then, you wouldn’t come.”
She replied with a slightly flushed face and a voice tinged with disappointment.
Hearing that, I began to carefully think things over.
I recalled how the Saintess used to sneak up on me everywhere I went.
I had brushed her off several times due to my busy schedule, and it seemed that her feelings of being upset back then had evolved into a kind of grudge over time.
While a cafe might have been an option, the temple was a discreet space where the Saintess had her own private chamber.
Of course, it wasn’t solely a place for casual conversation but also a space where important information was exchanged. That was why I couldn’t easily dismiss the Saintess’s requests.
Of course, when I complained about this to Yuren, he merely looked at me as if I was pathetic.
It was so unfair.
Yuren seemed to have too much faith in the Saintess to believe she would stoop to such petty revenge.
However, clarifying this profound misunderstanding would have required too much effort. So, I chose to let Yuren believe what he wanted.
After all, the truth, even if obscured, will eventually come to light.
Though frequenting the temple often felt like a waste, today’s visit to see the Saintess proved worthwhile.
The information she shared seemed significant.
“Lady Lupesia has requested a convening of the disciplinary committee. Given the Princess’s impulsiveness, follow-up actions are to be expected.”
Hmmm, as soon as I heard that, I crossed my arms and sighed.
This was the temple’s infirmary.
Lately, the Saintess, who should have been tending to patients here, had been summoning me to this place during her free time.
Maybe she saw me as some method to kill time while she was bored.
Of course, it wasn’t an entirely unpleasant experience for me.
Currently, the Saintess was cradling her chest with one arm, emphasising her already prominent bosom.
It seemed her shoulders were sore, and despite her body being trained in the Holy Nation’s Secret Techniques, she still struggled with the weight.
It was a captivating sight. And the Saintess? She behaved as if this was a routine part of her day, utterly unfazed.
With her other hand, she absentmindedly twirled her hair, exuding an air of indifference and a touch of mischief. That bored look in her eyes even carried a hint of rebelliousness.
It wasn’t the image you’d typically associate with a symbol of compassion and diligence.
But seeing the Saintess in this light, I shook my head a few times. After all, we had come to thoroughly understand each other’s true nature.
For me, this was preferable to dealing with pretense.
After maintaining silence for a while, I finally spoke up.
“…This sounds serious.”
“It is serious. Expulsion is pretty much a done deal at this point.”
The Saintess uttered this with a heavy sigh, her hand that was twirling her hair dropping limply.
“Really, what were you thinking? No matter what, there was no need to go as far as amputating all her limbs just because of a slap.”
“What do you mean by all her limbs? I left at least one leg, thou…”
“…Anyway!”
Disregarding my protests of injustice, the Saintess forcefully slammed her hand on the table in front of me.
With each strike of her palm, the tea water bounced evenly. It was impressive that not a single drop spilled outside the teacup.
Truly the skill of someone well-versed in the Secret Techniques of the Holy Nation.
Yet, despite my admiration, the Saintess’s scolding continued.
“Are you planning to embed a hatchet in the princess’s shoulder next? Y-You do know that even someone who has the Dragonblood Script would be in serious trouble, right?!”
Hearing the concern mixed into the Saintess’s admonishing tone, I couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
I truly had no intention of going that far.
Dousing her with water was already a serious offense, but spilling the blood of an imperial family member was an entirely different matter. It could be deemed as an ‘attempt of murder on the imperial family’.
Of course, in the midst of imperial power struggles, imperial family members often met their end quietly. However, even those blinded by power usually refrained from publicly committing assassinations of the imperial family.
The members were descendants of the Emperor and their lives were closely tied to the authority of the imperial family.
While it’s true that splashing water on someone doesn’t kill them, making them bleed was a different story altogether.
Making someone bleed implies the possibility of death, depending on the aggressor’s intentions. Even the Empire, known for its tolerance toward the academy, wouldn’t turn a blind eye to such an act.
It was also one of the reasons why I held back from retaliating against the Princess’s subsequent provocations by embedding the hatchet in her shoulder the other day.
Of course, the biggest reason was simply that ‘I didn’t feel like it’.
The princess’s efforts to instill fear in me by going to such extremes appeared more pitiful than annoying. Each word seemed like a desperate plea for me to feel intimidated by her.
To me, it all came across as the whimpering of an immature child.
If the princess had actually followed through with her plans, maybe it would have been a different story, but any clash with her would likely have resolved itself within a week anyway.
There was absolutely no reason for me to get entangled in her provocations.
As I mulled over these thoughts, my gaze briefly shifted to the Saintess. Her gentle pink eyes still held an unmistakable trace of lingering concern.
A wry smile naturally formed on my lips.
Despite everything, it seemed I had developed a certain fondness for her. Just a single glance was enough to warm my heart.
“Don’t worry, nothing of that sort will happen. As for the disciplinary committee, honestly, I’m not too sure about it… Anyway, I’ll think about it after a week. And please extend my apologies to Lady Lupesia.”
“I think she might be even more scared if you apologize…”
In response to my words, the Saintess tilted her head, murmuring something cryptic.
Then, suddenly, she had a look of realization. It seemed like she had remembered something important.
Her gaze, now tinged with suspicion, turned towards me.
“…Come to think of it, are you still beating up kids these days? Recently, students have been showing up with a broken bone or two, but they’re not saying anything about the perpetrator.”
I shook my head in response to her question.
My guiding principle had always been to fight back only against those who directly confronted me, and recently, no one had dared to do so.
Frankly, given the widespread rumors circulating about me, it would be astonishing if anyone still chose to provoke me.
They couldn’t possibly know whether the cost of such audacity would be the sacrifice of a limb or even their life.
Even the initially skeptical Saintess found this explanation convincing enough. She nodded her head as if to agree.
“Well, if someone still provokes you after hearing those rumors, they would indeed need medical attention. Specifically, for their mental state.”
This seemed like way too exaggerated of an assessment, even for me, making my gaze turn skeptical. Nonetheless, the Saintess simply smiled, seemingly reassured.
Her shoulders eased, reflecting her relaxed mood. This posture further accentuated her bosom, making it strikingly attractive, yet the Saintess appeared indifferent to it.
In the end, I was the one who felt embarrassed first.
With an Ahem, I cleared my throat and subtly shifted my gaze away. The Saintess looked at me, initially confused, but then caught on to where my eyes had been directed.
With a thoughtful Hmm, her eyes narrowed.
She then subtly straightened up, leaning her upper body slightly over the table, and whispered in my ear.
“…Do you want to touch it?”
“Yes.”
Naturally, my response was immediate.
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