CHAPTER 42……………………………………
Several days had passed since Schwartz had been placed under house arrest.
It was because he had released alpha pheromones at the ball and even attacked betas.
“Take this to heart. If you cause trouble with the Holy Kingdom’s delegation even once more, I will not let it slide.”
Although he had been sternly warned by the Emperor, he didn’t stop there and ended up having a minor clash with Cassius at an outdoor party.
After receiving the report, the Emperor grabbed the back of his neck and spoke as he sentenced Schwartz to confinement.
“Reflect on your actions until the delegation returns to the Holy Kingdom!”
Being completely locked inside his estate didn’t really matter.
If he truly wanted to leave, fooling the imperial knights guarding the front of the mansion would be child’s play.
Schwartz sat on a long chair and closed his eyes.
It felt as though Sonia’s smiling face from earlier was lingering on his retinas.
She had been a strange existence from the very beginning.
He had been born a bastard and had been despised all his life—because his blood was considered impure.
This was especially true of priests from the Holy Kingdom.
They treated him with hostility, as if looking at a heap of filth gathered from all the world’s impurities, and even avoided coming near him.
In a world filled with enemies, only she was different.
Even though she was a priest, she did not loathe him.
“The god Magnus says that everyone who visits the temple is a lamb in need of help. What kind of help do you need?”
He could clearly distinguish between hatred and fear. She was afraid of him, but she did not avoid him.
That was why he approached her, though her fearful reactions were unavoidable.
Because filthy blood flowed through him, he had to become someone everyone feared in order to survive. That was why he grew stronger, caused many incidents, and naturally gained a terrible reputation.
What should I do?
He knew how to push people away, but he didn’t know how to accept them.
When he gave her a cookie she’d been enjoying, she took it eagerly and relaxed, so after that he decided to give her things she liked.
She also said that family was precious to her.
So when he protected her younger brother from being kidnapped by Shane, she—who had been trembling in fear—smiled at him with her eyes.
“Thank you for helping Lancelot.”
It wasn’t a forced smile made while watching his mood. It was a bright smile that seemed to come straight from her heart, and it suited her well.
Seeing Sonia’s smile made him feel strange.
It was a sensation he’d never experienced before.
What did I do back then?
As he savored the unfamiliar feeling, he thought he’d smiled back at her.
It was the first time.
The first time he had smiled face-to-face with someone.
I wish the delegation would return soon.
Then he could send Sonia a reservation letter and proceed with a counseling prayer.
What should he bring this time?
Should he bring Theodore, the viscount she cherished like family?
If he went with Lancelot, the Emperor would feel reassured enough to send him to the Holy Kingdom.
No.
If Lancelot was there, wouldn’t he have to split her time in two?
He didn’t like the idea of sharing Sonia’s time with someone else.
Cookies are best, after all.
Thinking of her eagerly biting into the cookies he gave her made him feel good all over again.
He wanted to spend the whole day watching her cheeks puff up like a squirrel’s as she chewed.
“Master!”
Someone interrupted Schwartz as he was immersed in his pleasant thoughts.
It was the Black Ghost.
“What is it?”
He’d been savoring Sonia’s smile, and this nuisance dared to interrupt him.
He didn’t bother hiding his irritation.
“I’m sorry to disturb your rest. It seems something has happened to the priest you ordered us to watch.”
Schwartz stood up at once.
The thin robe he’d been loosely wearing slipped down his body as he strode toward the Black Ghost.
“Report immediately.”
Overwhelmed by the pressure he exuded, the Black Ghost swallowed hard and continued.
Sonia had gone to the Sanctuary of Healing with a holy knight, had an accident there, and fell into a pit.
And to deal with the situation, the Emperor had sent Shane.
A massive hole opened beneath my feet.
Before I could even dodge, I fell straight into it.
I knew it—the cracks in the floor and ceiling looked suspicious!
I had a bad feeling that it might collapse, but of all people, I had to be the one to win that lottery.
Once my body started falling, a terrifying speed built up.
“Priest Sonia!”
Jurgen shouted loudly and reached out, but he was far too far away. Unable to grab my hand, Jurgen leapt into the pit without hesitation and pulled me into his arms.
Holding me tightly so he wouldn’t lose me, he shouted,
“Hold on tight!”
I grabbed Jurgen’s holy knight uniform with all my strength.
Wrapping his entire body around me, he drew his sword with one hand.
Then he stabbed the blade into the wall to slow our fall.
Kagagagak!
The sword, unable to properly lodge itself, scraped noisily along the wall.
Despite his efforts, the blade—driven in without balance—failed to serve as a support.
Crack.
In the end, Jurgen’s sword snapped in half, and we plunged together into pitch-black darkness.
Then—bang!—we slammed into the ground.
Startled, I blinked rapidly.
Ca… can I move my arms and legs?
I wiggled my hands and feet. They throbbed a bit, but thankfully they moved just fine. Relieved, I let out a long sigh.
Though broken, Jurgen’s sword hadn’t been useless.
Thanks to the reduced speed midway down, and Jurgen shielding me, I was unharmed.
The problem was Jurgen.
He had taken the full impact to protect me and lay completely still.
Fear clenched my chest.
He lay sprawled on the ground without moving.
We had fallen from quite a height.
If he’d taken the shock for me, he might have been badly injured.
“Sir Jurgen!”
I placed both hands on his chest and pressed my ear close. Thankfully, his heart was beating.
Hoping to help even a little, I tried to use my divine power, but strangely, it wouldn’t gather.
It felt like someone was calling me, and I used quite a bit of strength, but not enough to exhaust myself.
It was as if something was blocking my power.
In the end, I had no choice but to shake him awake.
“Sir Jurgen, please wake up!”
“…Ugh.”
“Sir Jurgen!”
“I’m not dead. Please… stop shaking me. My head is ringing, and I feel dizzy.”
Judging by what he said, it didn’t seem like he had a concussion.
“Phew….”
It was a relief that he wasn’t seriously hurt, especially since divine power wasn’t working. Jurgen spoke again.
“But…”
“……”
“How long do you plan on sitting on top of me?”
I looked down.
Rubbing his forehead as if his head hurt, Jurgen spoke with a slight frown.
“I don’t mind if you stay a bit longer, but Priest Sonia, you are pressing down on my lower body.”
I realized I was sitting on his thigh.
I was pressed close enough to feel his firm muscles tense beneath me.
“I—I’ll move.”
I hurriedly got off him.
Jurgen staggered to his feet and brushed the dirt off his cloak and clothes.
Then he looked up at the ceiling.
I followed his gaze.
The hole that had dropped me down here floated high above us, like a moon in the sky.
It had seemed fairly large, but from down here…
“We fell from a really high place….”
Looking up at what had to be at least 20 meters high made shivers run down my spine.
We survived a fall from there?
If Jurgen hadn’t jumped in without hesitation, I might not be alive right now.
Confirming the dizzying height, I froze pale.
How are we supposed to climb back up?
At least thanks to the light coming in from above, we could barely make out our surroundings.
Beside me, Jurgen spoke casually while looking up.
“It’s high.”
“How are we supposed to get back up there?”
“That’s easy.”
His tone was light, as if it were nothing. He seemed confident. Jurgen continued proudly,
“I possess wind-aspect divine power. With my strength, I can lift both of us.”
Right—Jurgen had the power of wind!
He silently focused.
I stayed quiet so as not to interrupt his concentration.
After a moment, Jurgen spoke.
“…What should we do?”
“Yes?”
“My divine power isn’t activating.”
Wow. Sir Jurgen can’t use divine power either.
Same here!
But this wasn’t a situation to cheerfully agree with him.
It seemed that something down here was suppressing divine power.
Which meant no one above could help us either.
In short, we were screwed.
A voice echoed from the hole above.
“Ah—! Ah—! Can you hear us? Are you all right?”
A scholar’s voice echoed several times. Jurgen shouted back.
“We—are—fine. Please—send—a—wind—priest.”
After a short while, a reply came.
“Wind—messages—cannot—be—sent—down—below!”
Scratching his head, Jurgen explained,
“It seems divine power is completely blocked in this underground area.”
Moments later, something fell from above, and Jurgen quickly caught it.
Inside were a torch suitable for lighting, flint to start a fire, and a bundle of papers.
What are these papers?
“It’s too dark to see clearly.”
“I’ll light the torch first.”
Jurgen skillfully wrapped cloth around the torch, took out a metal flask of oil from his waist, and soaked it. He struck the flint a few times and lit the flame with practiced ease.
On top was a note sent by the people above.
“The underground is connected to the outside. We are sending a map.”
