Chapter 102
The enormous light that filled the plaza was suddenly absorbed into the woman’s body, disappearing as if it had never existed. At the same time, the red spots covering her body vanished completely.
The woman, panting as if in pain, looked down at her own arms and legs with disbelief.
The plaza was crowded with people, yet in that moment, everyone was silent, staring in stunned amazement.
It was a different kind of shock from when they had seen a man cured of the plague after drinking the sacred water.
Among those staring blankly at Eunha were the paladins and even the official, Perriad.
“The spots… they’re gone. The red rats… cured her…”
A murmur broke the silence.
“She’s… the saint…!”
Shouts erupted, drawing everyone’s attention.
As if triggered by that single word, cheers of joy celebrating the saint’s arrival rang out in all directions.
“The saint has come!”
“God sent her for us!”
Amid the uproar that shook the ground, Eunha looked at Rixion.
Her black eyes, filled with a mixture of fear and excitement, searched for him, still unsure of what had just happened.
Rixion, expressionless as always, looked back at her, unreadable.
But Eunha instinctively understood.
The woman who had been pleading for help and suffering just moments ago was now freed from that pain by her own power.
Because of this, she would be recognized not just by the emperor, but truly as a saint by the people. She had the power for it.
And Eunha realized that, from now on, Rixion could no longer ignore or dismiss her.
She saw him walking slowly toward her, his gaze fixed solely on her.
Eunha quietly hid the smile that wanted to escape and reached out her hand toward Rixion.
“We should return to the royal palace. I’ll rely on you to see us there safely.”
I had always been aware that I was sometimes quite foolish. There were moments when I thought, How could I have been so ridiculously stupid?
But today, I decided to fully withdraw that thought.
I wasn’t occasionally foolish. I was pure, absolute foolishness itself.
Because I am truly, genuinely, irreparably stupid. My intelligence was almost below that of a chimpanzee—pathetically low.
I was hopelessly foolish, pitiful, a once-in-a-lifetime idiot.
“So, putting together all the nonsense you’ve rambled on about…”
Well, if you call my carefully explained version “rambling nonsense,” I have to say I’m a little offended…
“In short, you two crossed the line.”
Yes. That’s right. If I condense the thirty-minute explanation I gave into a single line, that’s it.
I quietly acknowledged Michaël’s words, my face burning with shame, and lowered my head to hide it.
He had discovered that, due to my mistake thirty minutes ago, I had spent the night with Rixion Luhanes. And it hadn’t even been a full day since it happened.
It turned out Michaël’s original concern was something entirely different.
There was a mysterious group targeting me, and Rixion and I had worked together to hide that fact.
Michaël, as my only living relative and protector, was angry that he had been the last to find out.
But foolishly, I blurted out nonsense about sleeping with Rixion, about engagement, and other foolish things.
“Where is that guy now?”
When Michaël learned that I had spent the night with Rixion, his rage was tremendous. He looked ready to grab Rixion by the collar and shake him on the spot.
Thinking back, the bruise on Rixion’s cheek from last night was also caused by Michaël.
I felt a wave of anxiety, realizing this time Michaël’s reaction might not stop at just shaking Rixion by the collar.
“I—I seduced him! He didn’t want to, but I forced myself on him!”
Panicked, I even claimed that I had seduced him first, a completely insane statement.
Seeing Michaël’s horrified expression made me want to die on the spot, but it was too late. By confessing my delusion that I had slept with Rixion, I had already dug my own grave.
“Anyway… yes, it happened, but I have no intention of being engaged. I made that clear to him, so stop worrying about it.”
Even though Rixion had mentioned engagement this morning, I firmly stated I had no intention of such a thing.
After hearing that, Michaël’s expression softened considerably. Apparently, he had been furious thinking Rixion might take advantage of his precious little sister.
“…Engagement, huh.”
Michaël fell silent for a moment, arms crossed, lost in thought. The sight unnerved me.
“Engagement is nonsense. It’s all a waste.”
He said it plainly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Just hold the wedding.”
It hit me like a hammer. The words I had feared the most were finally spoken.
I looked at Michaël awkwardly, like a broken doll. My mouth gaped open, unable to respond.
“No arguments,” he added firmly.
For the first time in my life, I experienced what those drama CEOs do—sudden blood pressure spike, clutching the back of your neck, and collapsing. I actually fainted simply from the conversation.
Later, I heard Michaël had panicked and called for a doctor when I collapsed. But at the time, I didn’t have the capacity to care.
Meanwhile, news reached me that the Holy Nation of Astel had decided to provide sacred water capable of curing the plague red rats to the empire’s citizens.
At the same time, news spread throughout the empire that the saint, Ji Eunha, had healed plague victims with mysterious power.
It was the most spectacular debut for a saint.
The true beginning of the original Saint of Erendel.
[Yes, I didn’t even realize I had this power myself.]
Things had gone a little haywire.
The stage, meticulously prepared over a long time, was thrown into chaos by an unexpected performer: the saint, Ji Eunha.
Who would have thought that a stranger from another world could really have such power?
Eunha was not just a symbolic saint—she was a real one.
Among the old men who had planned this stage, chaos erupted.
Once honored as “the pillars of the temple,” now they argued, spitting accusations and passing responsibility for this incident onto one another.
Some insisted she had to be taken away, others claimed she should be eliminated quietly.
Jade watched silently as the two factions began to fight.
[Don’t praise me so much. Honestly, it’s still a bit embarrassing.]
In fact, more important than the glory of Astel, to which she had vowed everything, something else occupied her mind.
Or rather, it wasn’t just concern—it was closer to anger.
[I’m just happy I can help a lot of people with my power.]
Jade smiled at the sound of Eunha’s laughter flowing through the artifact.
Eunha genuinely looked happy. Her laughter, responding to occasional calls from Emperor Alexis, carried a sense of pure joy.
Jade turned the artifact in his hand. It was identical to the one hidden within Eunha’s clothes.
Being an ancient artifact close to a relic, it remained undetectable to present-day mages. The confident broker had been right—Rixion Luhanes wouldn’t notice either.
[Actually, I like the duke. But I think the duke… likes someone else.]
For a brief moment, the topic of conversation shifted while lost in thought.
