Chapter 28
No way—what is this supposed to mean?!
I’d been looking forward to this for days!
“Wasn’t it the Sanctuary of Healing? I heard the verification was already finished…….”
“Yes, it is definitely the Sanctuary of Healing.”
If the verification was complete, then there shouldn’t be any problem, right?
There was no way Cassius would say something like that as a joke. It seemed there was a definite reason I couldn’t awaken.
The greater my expectations had been, the greater my disappointment now felt.
Unable even to think of another question, I stared blankly at him.
“May I ask why?”
He looked deeply apologetic.
“All the documents in the Sanctuary of Healing are written in the Ancient Sacred Language.”
“The Ancient Sacred Language……?”
“Yes. We gathered experts on the Ancient Sacred Language from all over the continent, but not a single sentence could be properly translated.”
To achieve final awakening, one must read the prayer written in the sanctuary.
Judging by what he said, the prayer in the Sanctuary of Healing was written in the Ancient Sacred Language.
That meant my healing-aspect divine power could never reach final awakening.
‘No, how could this be?’
All the other sanctuaries were written in ordinary Sacred Language!
The Ancient Sacred Language was a script that had disappeared long ago. Very few ancient relics remained, and no matter how much one examined them, it was impossible to decipher their meaning.
They were so old and worn that hardly any proper characters remained.
At best, there were a few shapes that might be letters or pictures, but even those were too few in number to be decoded.
At present, it was a language whose very existence was questioned—the Ancient Sacred Language.
Some even said it might not have been a language at all, but a form of pictographs.
When I studied introductory theology, I saw images of the Ancient Sacred Language and was simply taught that it couldn’t be translated because it consisted of fragments broken into tiny pieces. It was the same at the investigation site I’d visited with Cassius before—we couldn’t read it at all.
Even in The Domain of the Devourers, there wasn’t a single line about the Ancient Sacred Language.
To be possessed into a book I’d read all the way to the end and still have not a scrap of useful knowledge—what a joke.
‘Ugh, so close.’
Still, there was no need to be too depressed.
After all, one of the reasons I was going to the Empire was to persuade Lancelot.
“It’s unfortunate, but…… it can’t be helped.”
“You may not be able to awaken your divine power, but please do visit the sanctuary at least once. The god Magnus will be pleased.”
“Yes, I will.”
I was curious anyway, and it would only be proper for a priest of the healing attribute to visit.
Before long, we reached the border of the Holy State.
Once we crossed it, we were immediately on imperial land.
I grew tense as I recalled my promise with Cassius.
There had been a condition attached to granting me permission to go to the Empire.
I remembered the words he had whispered when he allowed it.
—
“Once you leave the Holy State, accept my alpha pheromones.”
—
Accepting Cassius’s alpha pheromones into my body.
That was his condition.
—
Creeeak—
The carriage, which had continued on for quite some time after crossing the border, came to a stop. From here, we would be using warp magic.
Imperial wind-aspect priests who had come to meet us in advance began activating the warp.
Watching the several priests clinging to the warp array made me think of Jurgen.
He had activated a massive warp all by himself. Once again, I felt he truly was a man worthy of being the Holy Emperor’s guard.
Tap, tap. Jurgen, who was escorting the Holy Emperor’s carriage, lightly knocked on the window and opened it.
“Your Holiness, since there are many people to transport, preparing the warp will take quite some time.”
Cassius pressed his lips together and stared intently at Jurgen.
Startled, I followed his gaze and looked at Jurgen as well.
I’d just been thinking about him, and there he was!
Cassius was the one who broke the silence.
“Perfect timing. I’m tired, so I’ll rest for a bit.”
“Yes. I’ll guide you once everything is ready.”
The carriage window closed firmly, and even the curtains were drawn. We could still make out each other’s faces, but it grew quite dim.
“We’ve crossed the border.”
We had completely left the Holy State.
He must have remembered our promise as well. Cassius leaned toward me.
“Choose. Would you prefer mornings, Sonia? Or nights?”
Since it was my first time, I had no sense of whether morning or night would be better.
As I hesitated, he spoke gently.
“If you like, we could even do it twice a day.”
“Wouldn’t that be tiring?”
“I’m not that frail.”
Indeed, his solid build made him look full of stamina.
Since we’d be together constantly, there would be plenty of opportunities for him to share his alpha pheromones.
Given that we never knew what might happen, twice a day did sound better.
‘But is it really okay?’
Cassius said it was fine, but if he was making time just for me, it might become a burden.
There was something else that worried me.
They said that when an omega accepted an alpha’s pheromones, they felt strange.
Specifically—lewd.
“Have you ever done this before, Your Holiness?”
He had said he’d met omegas several times before the fever epidemic.
In the process, he might have shared alpha pheromones.
“It’s my first time.”
Then that meant neither of us knew how to deal with it if something went wrong.
“Are you worried because I might be inexperienced? ……I’ve researched this thoroughly.”
He spoke with a seriousness as if he were prepared to die for it.
“Even if I seem clumsy, I’ll do it without making mistakes.”
How could I refuse when he was asking me to trust him like that?
“No. It’s not that I don’t trust you, Your Holiness. It’s just…….”
“Just?”
Ah, this was embarrassing.
I’d grown up as a beta, so I’d never been educated about omega traits.
The only knowledge I had about omegas came from the so-called “red books” I’d read in this world.
‘They go into heat, apparently.’
It was a blunt term, but that was exactly how it was written.
An omega who accepted an alpha’s pheromones would be swept away by uncontrollable sexual desire.
I was afraid I might use this act as an excuse to pounce on Cassius.
If that happened, I’d be seized by the holy knights outside and dragged away on the charge of assaulting the Holy Emperor.
I glanced at Cassius.
‘He’s incredible, no matter how many times I see him.’
Just Cassius’s existence alone was more than enough welfare for the Holy See. It was so excessive it felt overwhelming.
‘And that’s the problem.’
There was a man unimaginably handsome sitting right in front of me. Great body, and carrying a lethal weapon.
If I lost my reason, I wasn’t confident I could handle it.
His cheeks were slightly flushed.
When our eyes met, he lightly loosened his collar.
“It’s a bit warm.”
“Shall I open the window?”
“No. It’d be better to do it once before we depart, so this is fine.”
Right. We had to do it anyway.
Schwartz, and even Shane, would come to the imperial palace.
‘This is treatment.’
Cassius is like a doctor. So what he’s doing isn’t strange—it’s natural.
Repeating that to myself eased my worries a little.
“……Could we try just a little first, and then decide?”
“Of course.”
Cassius stood up and sat down beside me. The carriage was spacious enough that movement wasn’t an issue.
He lightly took my shoulder and pulled me toward him.
I was held firmly in his arms. My heart raced. It was my first time, so I was nervous—but there was also a subtle sense of anticipation. Not only my heart, but Cassius’s was pounding as well.
Bending at the waist, Cassius lightly placed his teeth against the side of my neck.
Alphas and omegas have an organ called a pheromone gland at the back of the neck.
If alpha pheromones are directly injected there, the omega’s scent disappears completely for a while.
He applied pressure with his teeth.
‘I’m being bitten……!’
I’d braced myself, but the solid sensation startled me, and my body flinched.
Out of habit, I clasped my hands together as if in prayer. I needed strength to endure it.
“Ugh!”
The scent of Cassius’s alpha pheromones grew intense.
It felt as though a thick fragrance spread into every corner of my body, to the point it was hard to breathe.
“Haa…….”
My heart pounded wildly at the unfamiliar sensation.
Heat rose through my body. The spot where his teeth touched felt especially hot, as if it were melting under the warmth.
The stronger his pheromone scent became, the weaker my body felt.
It was hard to stay upright, and I swayed.
To keep me from collapsing, he held me firmly, his lips still lingering at my neck.
That was how I accepted a considerable amount of alpha pheromones.
As I grew accustomed to it, my racing heart gradually calmed.
‘It’s better than I expected?’
I felt a bit excited, but not to the point of losing control and rushing at him like in the red books.
At this level, twice a day—no, even more often—would probably be fine. Once that thought began, others spread out like a spider’s web.
As if to force me to focus on the act at hand, his firm front teeth pressed down on my tender skin.
“Ah!”
It felt like the fine hairs on my body stood on end.
“Y-Your Holiness……!”
He pulled his mouth away slightly. The spot he’d touched felt burning hot.
“Do you dislike it?”
“It’s not that I dislike it, but…….”
This time, he didn’t use alpha pheromones.
It was just a teasing gesture, but honestly, it felt good.
“Then?”
I’d thought of injecting pheromones as a medical act. But the way he bit down at the end felt different.
Like something lovers would do.
I couldn’t bring myself to answer. Embarrassment crept up, heat rising to the back of my neck.
He chuckled softly.
Cassius moved close again.
When his soft lips touched my neck, it tickled, and I shuddered slightly.
Cassius wrapped a hand around my lower abdomen and whispered.
“You seem fine, so let’s do a little more.”
He spoke while letting out a low breath. The moment his hot breath touched me, my heart began to pound violently.
I could read a bit of the emotion carried in Cassius’s pheromones.
Fortunately, I didn’t seem to be a burden to him. If anything, he seemed to be enjoying this as well.
Realizing that Cassius felt the same way I did put me even more at ease.
