CHAPTER 90……………………………………….
Filled with rage, I unleashed my divine power at Lloyd.
“Ah!”
Lloyd, colliding with the healing divine power, writhed in pain—but his body and soul did not separate.
He was stubbornly holding on.
“It’s harder to control than I thought.”
Originally, the divine power I possessed was very small. Even slightly overusing it would drain me, so I always carefully managed only a small amount.
Perhaps out of habit, even now that I had gained immense power, I found myself subconsciously regulating it.
“Well, I guess I’ll just hit him a few more times.”
A mere one or two strikes wouldn’t be enough to release this fury.
Lloyd staggered back from the wall and muttered as he got to his feet.
“Even worthless little worms like you dare…!”
Having lived for centuries while switching bodies, Lloyd saw someone like me, living barely a hundred years, as nothing more than a bug.
I snorted in disbelief.
“I’d rather die human than live like a monster!”
Seeing Lloyd’s grotesque form, having abandoned his humanity, made me even more unwilling to desire something like eternal life.
“Hey.”
Annoyed by my shout, Lloyd lowered his voice.
“Don’t get cocky just because you awakened a little power. I want to tear you apart.”
All that bravado, even though he was kneeling and struggling against my power.
I had no intention of having a friendly chat with Lloyd.
I created several orbs of light, each filled with healing energy.
But suddenly, Lloyd raised both hands.
“…Hah, forget pretending to be strong. I’ll be honest. Honestly, I’m scared of healing power.”
Good. He should be afraid.
After all, this was the power I had gained by running madly through the labyrinth just to take him down!
“So I have no intention of fighting you head-on.”
Lloyd’s gaze shifted to Cassius.
The coward was clearly aiming for the fallen Cassius.
“I have to stop him!”
I quickly grabbed a sword lying nearby and moved toward Cassius.
I prepared multiple circles imbued with divine power to repel him.
“Puhaha. So gullible.”
Unexpectedly, Lloyd didn’t rush at Cassius but stood firm and gestured at the air.
A deep green energy gathered in his hands, and a warp opened.
It seemed he intended to use Cassius as bait to escape.
“You coward!”
Can the final boss really run away this easily?
At least make one last desperate move!
Lloyd smiled, as if pleased by some praise.
“Thanks for the compliment.”
Laughable! I wasn’t going to let him escape so easily.
I shot the healing orbs I had prepared at him.
Lloyd, leisurely retreating, collided with one of the flying light orbs.
“Yes! Direct hit!”
Though the distance lowered my accuracy, I managed to strike the largest orb at him.
“Ah!”
Half of Lloyd’s body crumbled, black smoke-like residue rising and trembling.
Hitting him multiple times was definitely more effective.
As I gathered more divine power to fire additional orbs, Lloyd, fumbling with his crumbling body, exploded in anger.
“You cursed woman! I’ll get you next time!”
With that cliché villain line, he vanished into the warp.
Unless one was a Wind Priest, there was no way to follow him.
I clenched my fists and turned away from the spot where the warp had disappeared.
It was fortunate that Lloyd had vanished now.
If this had dragged on, I might not have had time to check on Cassius.
I dropped the sword in my hand and approached Cassius immediately.
Cassius, bleeding heavily, still hadn’t opened his eyes.
“Your Highness…”
Looking at him so limp and weak, a heavy feeling settled in my chest.
No matter how strong my awakened healing power was, I couldn’t revive the dead.
“I hope I’m not too late.”
I carefully placed my fingertips under his nose.
Fragile but not broken, thankfully he was still breathing.
Holding his hand tightly, I bowed my head.
“Thank you…”
For holding on.
I used my healing power while holding his hand.
The divine energy, warm in color, enveloped Cassius’ body.
I could assess his current condition.
The injuries were far worse than they appeared. Even with his wounds healed, he couldn’t easily open his eyes.
“Please hold on just a little longer.”
As I whispered this like a prayer, his fingers twitched slightly.
Though still unconscious, it seemed he could hear my voice.
I decided I had to keep talking so he could regain consciousness.
“I have so much I want to say to you, Your Highness. I originally wanted to say it sooner, but until now, I avoided sharing my feelings. Honestly, I was scared…”
After realizing the world I was born into was a predator’s domain, I planned my future for survival.
After much deliberation, I never even considered paths other than that of a priest.
I feared that deviating from my carefully laid plans would ruin everything.
But meeting Alpine Cassius unexpectedly changed all my anticipated futures.
Though I stepped onto an unimaginable path and felt lost, strangely, I wasn’t afraid.
Because there was always someone to light my way.
“You stayed by my side, Your Highness. That’s why I wasn’t afraid.”
“……”
“I want to thank you in person. Please, open your eyes.”
The healing light surrounding him slowly began to fade.
Simultaneously, his heavily closed eyelids lifted.
Seeing his eyes, beautiful as ever, like bright red rubies, I felt relief.
He blinked. Though he had nearly died, even after healing all his wounds, he couldn’t easily speak.
His previously unfocused gaze sharpened.
Finally meeting my eyes, he smiled.
“Sonia. You’ve returned?”
Seeing his messy, waiting form again made an indescribable emotion rise—anger, sadness, or something else.
“Don’t overexert yourself… I told you to run if you couldn’t handle it.”
I didn’t want to blame him, but my disappointed heart couldn’t help but voice a complaint.
“I wasn’t overexerting. I thought I could hold on, but I let my guard down at the end.”
“If you let your guard down one more time, you would have become a ghost!”
“Hm, that wouldn’t be so bad. If I became a ghost, I could stay by Sonia’s side all day.”
No, what on earth is he saying?!
“I’m now good at exorcising ghosts.”
“Honestly, if I were purified by your hands, I think I’d feel rather happy.”
He chuckled lightly, then pressed his chest slightly, wincing.
“Ugh.”
The wound from Lloyd’s attack.
Healing fully mended it, though some lingering pain remained.
“You still feel pain, right?”
“It aches a little, but I’m fine. Really.”
“……”
“So stop frowning like that.”
He lifted his hand and caressed my cheek.
“More importantly, what did you want to tell me when I woke up? I’ll listen.”
I had intended to speak, but saying it out loud made me shy. I felt like my expression might look strange.
“The morning star is too bright!”
I nervously adjusted my hair to hide my burning ears.
“You already know my feelings, right?”
“Well, I can’t tell unless you use your abilities.”
“I’ll make sure you know properly.”
I removed his hand from my cheek.
I gently grabbed his shoulder, leaned in, and kissed him.
Cassius, who had pretended to know nothing of my feelings, wrapped his arms tightly around me.
Fearing I might press his wounded chest, I quickly pulled back my hands.
He pulled my free hand to wrap around his neck.
Our lips parted briefly. Cassius pressed his lips to my cheek and whispered:
“It’s okay. Hold me tightly.”
Then, Cassius moved first, deepening our kiss.
From between our lips came a strong scent of pheromones.
He had released them, letting me inhale his fragrance fully.
I greedily breathed in the intoxicating scent, feeling my heart race.
I wanted to experience Cassius with all my senses, focusing on his scent, movement, and breath.
The air gradually felt warmer.
“Should I release my pheromones too?”
Just then, Cassius slowly pulled back.
Feeling a bit disappointed, I lightly bit his lower lip before letting go.
He licked his lips, the tip of his tongue as red as his eyes, and said:
“Tempting me like this is troublesome.”
Indeed, he was trying to entice me.
“You released your pheromones, Your Highness.”
That’s blatantly seducing me!
“Yes, I did.”
“So, Your Highness, what did you intend to do with me by releasing them?”
Just then, a breeze blew. He lightly grasped the ends of my hair fluttering in the wind and said:
“I’ll speak first.”
