༺ Eyes of a Dragon and the Human Heart (39) ༻
Blood sprayed out with every cough.
The sudden blow to the back proved to be too much to endure, and upon witnessing the blood spurting from my mouth, the Saintess’ face turned pale.
The nature of her position meant she had seen countless injuries, many of which were worse than mine, so her flustered reaction was puzzling.
However, I could tell from how she was stumbling over her words that she was greatly worried about me.
“A-A-Are you alright?! L-Like I thought, you need immediate treatment…”
‘No… I’m like this cause you hit me...’
The words nearly clawed their way up my throat, but I managed to hold them back with superhuman restraint.
I knew she had only acted out of concern, but that didn’t mean I would drop my bullheadedness at this point.
I shook my head and steadied my blood-tinged breath to continue my bluff.
“There are others with more grievous wounds. Not to mention, I’ve suffered a lot worse before. I can endure this degree of injury…”
Then, using the ground and my arm as support, I gradually stood up with unsteady movements.
Although a pained groan escaped my lips, it was still bearable.
At the very least, my injuries weren’t so severe that I was unable to fight.
-Patpat
In an attempt to demonstrate my indomitable spirit, I coolly brushed the dirt off my clothes.
The Saintess watched on incredulously, but even that was short-lived as anger soon surged within her quivering pink eyes.
It seemed she was angry that I was trying to jump back into battle without even receiving treatment.
Just as she was about to burst out in anger-
“Ian!”
A large man with an imposing frame cut into our conversation.
Swiftly coming to a stop by my side, he immediately gripped my shoulder.
It was Professor Derek.
“Are you alright?”
He sounded concerned. He had been holding back the demonic beasts at the very forefront, but it appeared that he had sensed something amiss and rushed over when an explosion had gone off in the center of the formation.
His quick decision-making befitted a warrior of his caliber.
After pondering how I should respond, I smiled in resignation and answered honestly.
“…No.”
“Looks like it’s bearable!”
He burst into a hearty laugh.
Well, considering he was someone who had faced death countless times and spent decades risking his life to hunt demonic beasts, it was understandable that, for him, this degree of injury was a minor one that could simply be endured.
However, his visit didn’t seem to be solely out of concern for me, as his voice soon turned grim..
“Ian, a few young’uns thoughtlessly fled towards the academy. I didn’t pay much attention and let it be since we were only facing cats, but it’s a different story now that there are flying demonic beasts as well.”
“…The beasts might pursue them.”
Likewise, my voice grew tense as I murmured a dangerous possibility.
Professor Derek silently nodded.
It was an eerily odd coordination.
So far, there were two types of demonic cats—one that self-destructed and another that was capable of suddenly enlarging their bodies to engage in close combat.
Those two types shared a common trait—they were both small before mutation. Their small bodies allowed them to be carried around within the large talons of the demonic crows.
As a result, we now had to be vigilant against threats from both the ground and the air.
Even now, a black swarm of crows blotted out the sky as they headed towards the academy.
It was hard to believe this was a mere coincidence. The collaboration between different demonic beasts made it clear that this attack hadn’t happened naturally.
Someone was orchestrating this ambush.
The letter had mentioned an attack on the procession, and I had even read over it multiple times, but the signs were unmistakable now that we were experiencing it firsthand.
I bit my lips in thought.
If someone was commanding the beasts, it made sense that they would move strategically. Just like how they dropped self-destructing cats from above, it wouldn’t be surprising if they targeted the underclassmen who were especially vulnerable after scattering off from the main group.
It was a precarious situation, especially so, if non-combatants were involved.
Someone with actual skill had to go after them.
However, it was difficult to spare manpower when there were so many civilians and injured to protect. If we were to send anyone, it had to be a small group of highly skilled elites.
And Professor Derek chose me for the task.
“Ian, you’ve always been quick on your feet and also have ample combat experience. Hurry and go ensure their safety.”
“What about here?”
Instead of answering, Professor Derek swung his greatsword.
As he was still supporting my body, he had swung his sword with a single arm. But even with only one arm, countless lines were etched into the air, which then burst out in a surge of blood-red light.
Caught off guard, the demonic crows swiftly increased their altitude, but the net of sword aura was even faster as it shredded right through them.
Ghastly squawks rang out as flesh and blood rained down.
It was a powerful technique that not even he would be able to use indefinitely. Even so, it was unlikely that we would be caught unprepared by the crows again.
I nodded to Professor Derek, who looked slightly tired, and turned to leave.
But the Saintess, having overheard my conversation with Professor Derek, hurriedly stood up and blocked my path with a resolute look in her eyes as I was about to dash off.
“N-No… You’re injured! Are you planning on coming back in a comatose state again?! N-No, you can’t go…”
Her desperate plea put us in an awkward position.
Although I had to leave, it was difficult to move my feet when the Saintess, who was essentially in charge of healing me, was pleading for me to stay.
However, sending someone else was also somewhat difficult.
As a mage, Senior Elsie wasn’t suited for small, mobile skirmishes, and it was even harder to have Senior Delphine leave her post when she had to lead the entire group. Although Seria was as skilled as an expert, as an underclassman, she lacked the necessary influence to take the lead.
We also didn’t have enough time for her to fully heal me. Simply pouring out massive amounts of holy power wasn’t enough. A complete recovery required repeated, meticulous treatment.
While it was possible to only receive emergency treatment with the risk of developing side effects, her current actions proved it would be unlikely for her to agree to that plan.
Sighing, I pulled out a healing potion from my pouch and downed it in one go.
A faint bitterness spread over my tongue, and soon enough, the throbbing pain began to subside.
It was only a temporary measure, but I figured it would be enough to show her my resolve.
I trod closer to her.
However, despite standing firm in her spot, her trembling eyelids spoke volumes of her emotions.
Fear.
While I didn’t know exactly what she feared, it was clear that she was deeply worried about me.
Thinking back, I had protected her twice today.
Once from the first explosion, and once more when the crows bombarded us with exploding cats.
Perhaps that was why she was even more concerned. After all, past her cynicism, she had a gentle heart and much compassion.
After only a few steps, we were close to each other.
She closed her eyes shut and turned her head away, indicating that she wouldn’t listen to anything I say.
Her behavior resembled that of a wife desperately holding her husband back from going to war. Witnessing this poignant scene, even Professor Derek cleared his throat and averted his gaze awkwardly.
Thankfully, the rest were either writhing on the ground with broken limbs or too busy dealing with the onslaught of demonic beasts to pay attention to us.
After briefly gazing at the Saintess tenderly, I sighed and lowered my head as a soft voice escaped my mouth.
“…Saintess.”
“N-No!”
She shook her head with a firm resolve to not let me through.
Seeing tears glistening at the corners of her eyes, my lips formed a bitter smile.
It seemed impossible to persuade her through ordinary means, so I opted to take a drastic measure.
Extending my arms, a heavenly sensation enveloped my hands as my fingers pressed into the soft, supple twin masses.
It was her pair of ‘holy power pouches.’
I had felt them several times before, but the feeling was all the more clear when pressing my fingers into them.
They were addictively pleasant to the touch, and if possible, I wanted to continue fondling them, but before I could fully savor the sensation of those god-given gifts to all mankind, the Saintess reacted immediately.
“H-Hyaaaaaaaaa?!”
With a peculiar sound, she jolted a few steps back as her eyes widened in shock.
Her mouth wordlessly opened and closed repeatedly, struggling to form words. She stared at me bewilderedly with a face full of shock, and she only came back to her senses after looking at my regretful expression for a few seconds.
The Saintess’ shrill scream assaulted my eardrums.
“A-A-Are you crazy?! T-This is sexual harassment…! I’ll have you brought before a religious tribunal!”
Her face flushed red with shame as she pointed her finger at me.
Faced with her threat that wasn’t exactly threatening, I remained calm.
“What does it matter between us?”
“W-what do you mean ‘between us’…!”
“Don’t we have a special relationship where you’d let me touch even your most secretive, precious spots if we were to go to the Holy Nation?”
Caught off guard by my sudden disclosure, she immediately shut up. Then, becoming conscious of the surrounding attention gradually concentrating on us, she hurried over and whispered.
“…H-How can you say that in front of everyone?! T-They’ll misunderstand!”
“See, we do have a special relationship.”
I gently rested my hands on her shoulders.
The Saintess subtly flinched at my touch and looked up at me.
A bitter smile, tinged with playfulness, floated on my lips.
“So, I won’t die. Not when I still have to visit the Holy Nation and feel your holy pouches again. Don’t worry. I’m just… going to slice up some beasts. It’s what I always do.”
“…Except you’ve always gotten seriously injured doing so.”
She made a valid retort with a sullen voice.
Unable to find the words to respond, I smoothly tried to change the subject.
“Let’s make a bet.”
She gazed at me.
Her eyes, which contained both concern and bashfulness, seemed to be asking what I meant.
Although they were endearing, I had pressing matters to attend to.
Steadying my breath, I assured her.
“I’ll return after resolving everything… The friction I have with the imperial family, and even the current onslaught of demonic beasts. All of it.”
“…What if you fail?”
Hearing her quavering voice, I shook my head reassuringly.
“Then it’s your win, and I’ll grant you any wish. But if I win, you have to grant me a wish as well.”
“What are you even…”
She murmured with a faint smile as if she found this whole thing absurd.
“What if you die? What am I supposed to do then?”
“Eh, having a reward to look forward to would motivate me to survive, no?”
The Saintess sighed with a look of resignation. It was a tacit agreement.
I patted her delicate shoulders a few times and left her with one last request.
“Saintess, all the combatants, all the injured patients—everyone here needs you. Don’t waste your holy power. And please look out for Her Imperial Princess in parti-“
I came to an abrupt stop.
As soon as ‘Her Imperial Princess’ left my mouth, I swiftly scanned the surroundings.
She was nowhere to be seen.
“Her Imperial Princess…”
Considering she was typically accompanied by several knights at all times, the princess should have been hard to miss. However, no matter how much I looked around or tried to recall where she was, she wasn’t within the formation.
If so, there was only one conclusion.
The princess had left, and it was most likely towards the academy.
“…Fuck.”
A curse slipped from my lips.
The Saintess was slightly taken-aback, but I couldn’t afford to pay her any attention right now.
The ‘me’ from the future had deliberately made contact with the princess and had even splashed her with holy water.
It was clear she was a key figure in this attack, but she had vanished at some point, leaving me stumped. I had gotten so caught up in rescuing the injured that she had completely left my mind.
With an anxious heart, I left the Saintess with a quick goodbye.
“Let’s talk later. Anyways, come to the Verlata Pavilion once everything is settled here.”
Then, without waiting for her response, I immediately dashed off.
Space instantly became compressed as the landscape stretched into thin lines, and all sound faded into silence.
I had to immediately locate the princess and ensure her safety.
This sense of duty instinctively propelled me forward. My intuition was continuously sending warnings—the princess was in danger.
It was a baseless assumption, but it was deeply lodged in my mind.
It was time to save the princess.
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