BOPE 104

Chapter 104

It felt like someone had slammed a hammer into her solar plexus with all their might.
Before she could even cover her mouth, the blood surged up and spilled across the carpet.

“A mild headache and stomachache, huh? This is what you call that?”

Pain as if her insides were twisting themselves apart made Donghee collapse to the floor. She curled up, clutching her abdomen and enduring the agony. Thankfully, she didn’t cough up any more blood, but the blood that had filled her mouth dripped down her chin.

But the pain didn’t end there.

“Ugh…!”

A headache like a massive boulder crashing down on her skull made her clutch her head.
The resolve she’d had — to endure everything with composure — meant nothing in the face of such overwhelming pain.

She could bear it only because she knew this agony had an end. But if this was what “forced knowledge acquisition” felt like, she’d never do it again. She’d rather study seven hours a day for seven years straight.

Her vision blurred under the weight of the pain. Donghee fought to stay conscious, forcing her eyes to remain open. She clenched her teeth to keep herself from screaming.

Then — the door opened, and Delma’s voice sounded. The mix of relief that Delma had come and dread that she’d been discovered tangled inside her.

“Lord! The meeting—… My lord!”

Delma, who had entered to announce that preparations for the meeting were complete, froze at the sight of her lord lying on the floor, covered in blood.
She gasped and rushed forward, gathering the collapsed lord into her arms. The body in her embrace was burning hot.

“Doctor! Get a doctor! Hurry! My lord!”

As Delma screamed in panic, one of the knights guarding the door immediately sprinted off.

Donghee wanted to tell her not to worry — that it wasn’t as bad as it looked — but she couldn’t speak. If she opened her mouth, she’d only scream from the pain. And if she did, Delma might faint from panic.

“What’s going on—huh! My lord!”

Handsome, who had followed behind Delma, ran in at the commotion and froze in shock at the sight before him, then rushed to Donghee’s side.

“Handsome! Go get Dr. Gallon right now! Hurry!”

Even though a knight had already been sent for a doctor, Delma, half-crazed with fear, shouted at Handsome to go too.

Since he’d become the butler, Delma had always called him “Mr. Handsome” with respect — but not now. Her mind was blank with terror. Her young lord lay in her arms, pale, trembling violently, and covered in blood.

Without a word, Handsome bolted from the room.

Donghee’s abdomen burned again, as though someone had pressed a branding iron against her stomach.

No.

If this kept up, she’d spew blood all over Delma. She refused to do that. She clenched her mouth shut and endured.

But—

“Khk…!”

Pain isn’t something you can just will away.

“Ugh!”

Blood gushed up again, and Donghee coughed up another mouthful. Delma went white as a sheet, nearly fainting as she cried out.

“My lord! Please! Someone, help! Where’s the doctor?! Why isn’t he here yet?!”

It had only been moments since the others left, but for Delma, it felt like an eternity.

“Sob… my lord, who could’ve done this to you?!”

It was the status window. That smug, blue-tinted, point-obsessed thing that loves to mock me… that status window.

But she couldn’t say that aloud. Through her fading vision, Donghee could only see Delma’s tear-streaked face.

She reached out weakly and held Delma’s hand. Though it was slick with blood, Delma grabbed it and pressed it against her cheek. Her round face smeared with her lord’s blood.

“My lord, please don’t die. If you die, I’ll die that same day. Please… please…”

Delma’s voice trembled as she begged. Donghee wanted to say I’m fine, I’ll be okay soon, but she no longer had the strength to move her lips.
Her eyelids fluttered weakly once or twice — and then she lost consciousness.

“My lord!”

Delma screamed as Donghee’s limp body collapsed in her arms.

Gallón, who was running down the hall, froze at the sound of Delma’s desperate wails echoing through the corridor, then sprinted even faster into the room.

“What in the world—!”

He’d heard that the lord had collapsed bleeding, but the sight before him was far worse than he’d imagined. Gallón quickly pushed aside his shock and tried to calm himself, prying the sobbing Delma away from her unconscious mistress.

But Delma, hysterical, refused to let go.

“Delma! Get a hold of yourself! Let me see her, now!”

Delma stared blankly at him, deaf to his shouting — until he called her name again, and she finally released her hold.

“Good. Now let me take a look.”

Delma nodded, trembling all over. Gallón was shaking too, but he forced himself to stay calm.
He took a deep breath and pressed two fingers beneath the unconscious lord’s nose.

Then his eyes lit up. He leaned down, listened to her chest, and shouted with relief,

“She’s just unconscious! She’s alive!”

“R-really? Our lord’s all right?”

Delma immediately checked Donghee’s heartbeat herself and began to sob in relief.

“She might have been poisoned, so don’t move her yet.”

At the word poisoned, Delma’s tearful eyes turned cold. A moment ago she’d been a woman drowning in grief — now she looked ready to kill someone.

“Who would dare—!”

“What’s going on here!”

Screwge burst into the room, his face hardening at the bloody scene. He turned sharply to the knights outside.

“Seal the drawbridge. No one enters or leaves the castle until the culprit is found.”

His voice trembled with fury. The knights at the door were seething too — they’d been right there guarding the lord’s chambers, and yet she’d suffered under their watch. Shame and rage boiled inside them.

After the lord collapsed, a heavy tension blanketed the castle.
Because witnesses refused to speak, no one knew the exact details of her condition — but the atmosphere within the walls had changed.
Anyone unfamiliar was immediately stopped and interrogated. If they couldn’t clearly state their origin, they were thrown straight into the dungeon.

Red Bear, with bloodshot eyes matching his name, scrutinized everyone who passed. He hadn’t slept for two nights — guilt eating him alive for failing to protect his lord twice.

At dawn, his first task was to seek out Gallón for news.

“The lord is recovering quickly. I thought it was poison, but there are no traces of any toxin.”

At that, Red Bear’s expression hardened.

“Then why did she vomit blood?”

Gallón let out a weary sigh and shook his head.

“I’m still investigating, but it seems to be an unknown illness.”

“Haa…”

It wasn’t an assassination attempt — that was a relief. But the thought that Gallón might not be able to cure her filled Red Bear with dread.

“My lord, are you awake?”

While Gallón was outside, Delma’s voice came from within the room. Both men turned toward the slightly open door — through it, they could see the lord sitting up in bed.

Without hesitation, they rushed inside.

The woman who had looked deathly pale only hours ago now looked bright and healthy, as if she’d never been sick at all.

“My lord!”

“My lord!”

They cried out together, startling Delma, who spun around and scolded them.

“You’ll scare her! Speak softly!”

“I’m fine, Delma. You all must have been so worried. I’m sorry.”

Donghee smiled weakly, and Delma shook her head fiercely.

“You’re awake, that’s all that matters. Thank the heavens, my lord.”

Delma’s eyes brimmed with tears as she caressed her recovering mistress’s face.

Even though Donghee insisted she was fine, Delma forbade her from leaving the bed.
Gallón, acting as her personal physician, ordered a week of rest — during which he would examine her more thoroughly and prescribe medicine and treatment.

Donghee found it frustrating, but with both of them firmly against her getting up, she had no choice but to comply.

Late that night, after everyone had gone—

Donghee examined the information she had gained at such a painful cost… and grinned triumphantly.

– Terrain Information / Level 5: Grace Territory (–50,000p)

1. Mortar Village

• A large aquifer runs beneath the village center, containing abundant groundwater.

• The water table lies 13 meters below the surface.

• The hard pearlstone layer can be mined using a pickaxe made from Kullen’s fang.

• Uses of pearlstone: construction material, furniture crafting, or — when finely processed — jewelry making.
  Note: excessive mining may weaken ground stability.

2. Cave in the Black Forest (former Kullen habitat): Magic Stones available

• Thermal Magic Stone: translucent, with a bluish tint. When it touches water, it generates heat. (Useful for heating cold water quickly. When its energy is depleted, it turns transparent.)

• Uses of spent Thermal Magic Stones: excellent for maintaining warmth; can be used to craft long-lasting heat-retaining containers.

3. Enol Village

• Rich in clay deposits. (Has soothing properties and alleviates skin ailments. Most effective when used with water heated by Thermal Magic Stones.)

• Mud Mushrooms: can be processed into long-lasting preserved food thanks to their unique properties.

There were more details — about Idor Village, the castle-town of Kondal, and other parts of the Grace Territory — all full of information that could aid in its development.

As Donghee reviewed the knowledge she had nearly died to acquire, a satisfied smile curved across her lips.