༺ Eyes of a Dragon and the Human Heart (63) ༻
The Saintess had been having typically busy days lately.
It was due to the numerous influx of injured individuals at the temple. The assault, involving hundreds of demonic beasts, resulted in numerous disasters, and even some priests suffered losses due to the self-destructing demonic beasts.
There were many patients, but there was a shortage of priests.
Therefore, it was inevitable that the Saintess, undoubtedly the most powerful in terms of holy power within the academy, became busier.
Especially these days, the Saintess seemed even more absent-minded as the day to treat Ian approached.
The preparations for the sacrifice had been completed. Once she started the formal ritual using the Holy Relic, she would undoubtedly be able to heal Ian’s injuries.
That was how valuable the ‘Holy Relic’ was.
So many times in recent years, it has been used to heal a man who was brought into the temple in a near-death state.
It wasn’t a difficult task for the Saintess’s skills. Nevertheless, there were two main reasons why the Saintess was devoting her heart and soul to preparing Ian’s treatment.
Firstly, the Saintess loved Ian.
Although she hesitated to admit it to herself, it was true. Despite believing that all individuals were equal under the Heavenly God, no one truly embraced that idea.
It was human nature to care a bit more for someone with whom their fate had connected. Moreover, if that person happened to be the person they loved, there was no need to mention it.
Secondly, the Saintess had a strange conviction that Ian would return injured again.
So far, Ian had never returned uninjured, not even once. Furthermore, ominous signs of war were circulating within the academy.
The presence of a behind-the-scenes force called the ‘Dark Order’ had emerged along the trail leading from the hunting grounds to orphanages and continued to the Homecoming Festival.
The upheaval was not going to end like this.
In that case, Ian, who had always stood at the center of all, wouldn’t be able to avoid the conflict either. Therefore, she should exert maximum effort and preserve the Holy Relic as much as possible.
Because if Ian got injured again, it could be used again.
Besides, there were many other issues that needed to be discussed.
First of all, there were too many individuals self-proclaiming to be Ian’s guardians.
As the number of patients being discharged increased, the visitation of guardians was allowed for the seriously injured. Every time this happened, the hospital room would turn into a sea of tears.
Ian’s hospital room was especially like that.
The Saintess still remembered Seria’s face as she gazed down at Ian’s face, which had become thinner.
Seria’s complexion turned pale, and she was on the verge of dropping her bundle of fruits. With a trembling voice, Seria continued to inquire about Ian’s well-being.
Every time, the Saintess repeated words of reassurance, but Seria showed no signs of calming down.
Only after Delphine sighed that she finally stopped.
“…Enough, Seria. Since they’ve even sent the Holy Relic from the Imperial Family, there shouldn’t be a big deal as long as his life is intact.”
Only then did Seria’s gaze hesitantly turn back towards Ian.
It was because she couldn’t dare to disobey the orders of the sister she admired so much after Ian. Delphine, who watched this with a bitter expression, politely nodded to the Saintess.
“Well then, please take good care of Ian.”
The words “Who do you think you are?” almost escaped the Saintess’s lips, but she managed to hold it in.
Yes, it was a phrase that could be easily said to a cherished junior.
Nevertheless, the Saintess had no choice but to respond with a somewhat uneasy feeling.
“Of course, Brother Ian is someone with whom I share a deep connection.”
As the Saintess put a big smile and lowered her head, Delphine blankly looked at her.
But the silence was short-lived.
Delphine soon formed a mysterious smile and whispered into the Saintess’s ear.
Her provocative voice was sweet, as if it could melt the Saintess’s eardrums.
“It’s a coincidence, isn’t it? I’m like that, too… Have you ever been spanked on the buttocks by Ian?”
“…Wh-what!”
As soon as the Saintess heard those words, she jumped. What Delphine said was beyond imagination, to the extent that it made her wonder if she might be hearing things.
The Saintess immediately drew a cross over her chest and began to blabber.
“Th-that shameless! I’m a bit envi— N-no! It’s blasphemy! I will report it to the Inquisition!”
Seeing the Saintess’ reaction, all Delphine did was let out a bored, lethargic laughter.
“I was joking.”
The Saintess kept suspiciously staring at Delphine until the end, but even a Saintess like her couldn’t pry such a secret from the heir of the Yurdina family.
Only Seria sensed the peculiar atmosphere between the two and tilted her head.
When her sister left the hospital room, she looked at Ian as if unwilling to leave before eventually trotting after her.
Apart from them, Celine and Leto also visited.
Celine, after holding Ian’s hand while sobbing for a while, eventually begged the Saintess with a desperate tone.
“Ian oppa… he can survive, right? Please, Saintess…”
“You don’t have to worry, Sister Celine.”
The Saintess had to smile to prevent herself from cursing at her.
It was quite improper for a woman to touch the hand of an unconscious man.
“Once the ritual begins tomorrow, I believe Brother Ian will regain consciousness within three days at the latest. This, too, is a grace from the heavens, Immanuel.”
Celine blew her nose into the tissue in the corner of the hospital room. It indicated much she had already cried.
It was understandable after not seeing each other for a long time. However, there seemed to be some intention behind her exaggerated gestures.
It was an implicit signal that said, ‘I claimed this man first, so don’t you dare flirt with him.’
Of course, the Saintess couldn’t care less. She just inwardly scoffed.
Leto, who couldn’t stand the sight of her acting like that, kicked Celine around her waist.
“Ack, ack! Leto, have you gone crazy?! I’m asking a favor from the Saintess right now, don’t you see that!”
“Okay, okay, I got it. Let’s go out. Don’t you think the Saintess needs time to prepare, too?”
It was the sentence she felt grateful to hear among all the things she had heard today.
The Saintess slightly lowered her head and expressed gratitude to Leto and Celine, who was grumbling as they left the hospital room. As Leto passed by the Saintess, he whispered in a small voice.
“…Take good care of Ian.”
The Saintess’s hand drew a cross.
“Immanuel.”
She responded sincerely to the words without saying anything else, filled with genuine feelings.
The Saintess had planned to do that even without him needing to say so, but she should respond sincerely to words spoken with genuine feelings.
After that, Elsie and Lupine, the two siblings, also came to visit.
Surprisingly, Elsie didn’t shed a tear. She just gazed down at Ian with a melancholic expression and asked casually.
“If I had followed my master, would things have turned out differently?”
It was a question that nobody could answer.
The only response that could be given was a perfunctory comfort. It was an obvious one, but Elsie was not satisfied with that answer.
As Elsie left the room, a faint resolution lingered within her sapphire blue eyes.
Where that determination would lead was still unknown.
All the Saintess could do was pray. She wished with all her heart that Elsie’s feelings would be a help to Ian.
However, that girl shouldn’t get too close to Ian.
With such a prayer filled with personal feelings, the Saintess finished preparing for the upcoming ritual the next day.
It was the moment when the last visitor to see the Saintess came.
She was a striking beauty with midnight blue hair and light gray eyes. Unlike her past self, which was proud and upright, there was a melancholic atmosphere emanating from her countenance.
Recognizing her identity instantly, the Saintess placed her hand on her forehead.
And a chilly voice escaped through her lips.
“…Didn’t I tell you not to come?”
“I want to see Sir Ian.”
However, Cien’s tone opposing her was equally firm.
The Saintess glared at her with cold eyes.
“See him to your heart’s content later, once Ian opens his eyes. You and Ian aren’t that close to begin with, right? If I let you meet Ian, it would only hinder the treatment, so why…”
“I’ll do anything.”
The Saintess’s words came to an abrupt halt.
The light pink eyes gazed at Cien, full of doubt. Regardless of the reaction, Cien’s tone remained gloomy.
“I’ll do anything as long as I can see Sir Ian… Please, just ask anything of me.”
However, the Saintess couldn’t help but snort.
‘Anything, you say?’
Treatment wasn’t such a simple task. Much more, when it came to dealing with injuries that required a ritual, there was no room for untrained personnel who hadn’t finished their proper education to be involved.
The Saintess mocked with a sneer.
“What can you do? At best, fetching water and doing some cleaning like a servant? How could a member of the Imperial family lower themselves to such menial tasks…”
“…I’ll do it.”
She got choked, stumbling over her words once again.
The Saintess’s widening eyes proved how absurd the statement was.
The members of the Empire’s Imperial Family were high and noble.
Even among high-rank nobles, the aversion to performing menial tasks was quite strong. Didn’t even Delphine refuse such chores for a while in the orphanage?
But a member of the Imperial Family would carry water and do the cleaning?
It was nonsense. That was only possible after they completely crushed their own pride to the ground.
You would never expect a human being to pour water and serve based on a command from the pig they’re raising.
It was that level of shock.
The Saintess, who had stuck her tongue inside her mouth, opened and closed her lips several times.
“I’ll do it. Whether it’s as a servant or a maid… So, please, just let me see Sir Ian…”
Tears had gradually formed in Cien’s eyes, who pleaded like that.
Eventually, unable to hold back the tears, Cien sniffled and wiped her eyes several times with her sleeves. She was experiencing considerable emotional fluctuations.
It meant that her mind was on the verge of breaking.
And amidst all that, the only healing method she chose was meeting Ian.
The Saintess was curious about why Cien was so obsessed with Ian and how her mind had ended up in such a difficult situation, but it wasn’t an issue to delve into immediately.
However, the Saintess hesitated for a long time, chewing on her lips, before finally uttering a single sentence.
“…Do as you wish.”
It was the moment when the hierarchy among the group was determined.
Cien, the 5th Imperial Princess of the Empire, ranked at the very bottom.
She was a maid.
**
Ian opened his eyes with a gasp.
His whole body was drenched in cold sweat. In the air filling his lungs, a faint scent of herbs mixed in, allowing him to quickly realize where he was.
It was the intensive care unit in the temple.
How long had he been lying down? Suffering from throbbing headaches, Ian had to groan for a while.
Soon, he raised his upper body.
Other than feeling stiff, his body itself seemed fine. He had worried about aftereffects, but it seemed he had somehow recovered.
The door to the hospital room opened when Ian was sighing in relief.
The Saintess, opening the door with a fatigued expression, froze on the spot as soon as her eyes met Ian’s.
Then, she immediately exclaimed with a sob.
“…Ian!”
Watching her, Ian couldn’t help but force a wry smile.
It seemed he had caused her a lot of worry once again. As his mind gradually became clearer, memories from the past days flooded back like a tide.
As he sat there in a daze, Ian’s first question was as follows:
“…What about the Imperial Princess?”
“Huh?”
Upon hearing the sudden question, the Saintess, who was hastily approaching Ian, tilted her head and spoke.
Only then did Ian realize the mistake in his way to address the Imperial Princess and quickly attempted to correct himself.
“I mean, is Her Imperial Highness well?”
“Ah, that woman…”
As the Saintess trailed off, suspicion filled Ian’s golden eyes. Nevertheless, the Saintess hesitated for a moment before sighing in resignation.
Of course, he would want to know the condition of the woman he had rescued.
The Saintess roughly explained the current state of the Imperial Princess.
About how she was receiving public scrutiny within the academy, rumored to be a notorious villainess, and how her mental state was unstable, leading to sudden bouts of tears.
Also that Cien only found some stability after staring at Ian.
Although Saintess couldn’t understand the reason, Ian had a story that immediately came to mind upon hearing those words.
The Imperial Princess’s past, and the ‘Dragon’s Eyes.’
Ian remained silent for a moment, turning his gaze away. Then, he attempted to rise with his body trembling.
The Saintess was startled upon seeing that, then screamed.
“W-what are you doing? You’re still a patient! Lie down again, right now!”
However, despite the Saintess’ urgent resistance, Ian stubbornly got up. Then, amidst the pile of neatly arranged belongings by the bedside, he found his hatchet and held it.
The weapon he picked up first in a long time conveyed a solid sense of weight.
After swiftly throwing it into the air, the hatchet again found its place in his hand. Fortunately, he still retained his skill in handling the weapon.
Watching closely as Ian performed his actions, the Saintess, with a still uncertain voice, asked.
“What are you doing?”
“Practice.”
Ian exhaled deeply as he spoke.
“Please help me call Senior Neris.”
Perhaps because there seemed to be some unfinished business.
****
On that day, Cien received an unfamiliar letter.
It was a letter from Ian’s younger sister.
