CHAPTER 94………………………………………………….
Sonia, lost in thought, finally gave up.
“I first saw Sir Jurgen in Your Highness’ office. Could you tell me when exactly that was?”
“Hmm…”
Seeing her collide with the holy power, double-check, yet still unable to remember properly, he felt a little disappointed.
Determined to make her realize it on her own, he decided not to tell the truth, even if it meant letting his pride get in the way.
‘It doesn’t matter if she never remembers it for the rest of her life.’
The reason he chose to become a holy knight was to repay Sonia, not for any self-glorification.
The memories of the help she had given him were enough if only he remembered them.
Jurgen grinned mischievously.
“Since you’re curious, I’ll tell you. When you were a trainee priest, didn’t we sneak out to drink together by jumping over the dorm wall?”
“What are you talking about? I never jumped over any wall!”
“Then did you, Priest Sonia, dig a hole under it?”
Sonia’s eyes twitched upward.
From his playful demeanor, she could tell he had no intention of giving her the real answer.
She deliberately stepped on Jurgen’s foot with a sly smile.
“Ouch! That might have broken a bone!”
Jurgen let out a dying groan, but Sonia felt even more pain from stepping on his sturdy knight’s boots.
“I’m not going to treat your foot!”
Pouting heavily, Sonia glared at Jurgen and leaned against the wall.
As Jurgen chuckled quietly at her, a messenger of the wind arrived.
It had been sent by the priest investigating the alchemists in the Mage Tower.
[There is no blue rose on the corpse of the Mage Tower Lord.]
The playful smile on Jurgen’s face vanished instantly.
Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Sonia asked.
“This is the messenger sent by the priest in the Mage Tower, right?”
“Yes. They checked the Mage Tower Lord’s corpse but found no trace of the cursed power.”
After confirming the news, Sonia made a decision.
Lloyd was not dead.
He had transferred into someone else’s body and was stubbornly clinging to life even at this very moment.
After finishing his conversation with the Emperor, Cassius returned.
The corners of his mouth were slightly set, suggesting it wasn’t particularly good news.
Yet the moment he saw me, he smiled.
“Sonia.”
I had openly declared that I would be Cassius’ partner.
There was no reason to hide it, so I welcomed him and stretched my arms wide.
“Welcome back, Cassius.”
Drawn to me like a magnet, he buried himself in my embrace.
He sighed softly as he held me tight.
“Ah… this relieves my fatigue.”
For some reason, he looked like a content cat purring in the arms of its owner.
I gently ran my fingers through Cassius’ hair; his golden locks flowed softly between my fingers.
He closed his eyes slightly, as if enjoying the touch.
I slowly brushed his bangs aside and lightly touched his eyelids.
“You’ve been moving around all night… You must be exhausted. You should rest.”
From the sanctuary alone, Cassius had used a tremendous amount of holy power because of Lloyd, and had even gotten hurt.
Not only that, he hadn’t stopped at making me the saintess; he spent the night in meetings with the holy knights and priests, and even spoke with the Emperor.
I stopped stroking him.
He slowly opened his eyes.
“I want to rest while I’m with you at the villa.”
But first, we had matters to attend to in the Empire.
I needed to inform him of the news Jurgen had just brought.
“There’s something I need to tell you, Cassius.”
I released him. He stepped back reluctantly and looked down at me.
“What is it?”
“I examined Lloyd’s body through Sir Jurgen. They say there’s no trace of the cursed power. I think Lloyd might have moved to a new body.”
“We need to investigate the likely suspects first. Jurgen.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Now that I think about it, Jurgen was there.
He seemed unfazed even as Cassius and I embraced each other.
If anything, I might be the one feeling embarrassed.
Our eyes met, and Jurgen smiled cheekily.
“You two look very good together. I’ll continue rooting for you.”
Cassius frowned slightly.
“That’s obvious enough. You, check the Mage Tower access logs to see if anyone is missing. Also inspect all priests and holy knights dispatched for the investigation.”
“Even the priests? Could there be a spy?”
“Not a spy. We’re looking for the Mage Tower Lord himself.”
“……”
“He can transfer his body using his special ability.”
Jurgen blinked multiple times.
“……You’re saying the Mage Tower Lord, who possesses all forms of holy power, can swap bodies with others using his special ability?”
“Yes.”
Jurgen’s pupils trembled violently, as they had last night, and he glanced at me.
He seemed to be silently asking whether this was truth or lie.
The information about Lloyd went beyond what a priest could reasonably comprehend.
I nodded at Cassius’ words, acknowledging their truth.
“Understood. I’ll investigate immediately.”
Having confirmed this unbelievable fact, Jurgen gathered nearby holy knights and went outside.
Watching him leave, I asked,
“Do you think we can find Lloyd?”
If he had entered another person’s body using his ability, he would be very difficult to track.
“It would be hard to find him through inquiry alone. I’ll need to use my ability separately. It would be wise to observe the Imperials until we return to the Holy Nation.”
Cassius also had a psychic ability.
Using that power to read others’ minds might allow him to locate Lloyd.
He bent slightly to meet my eye level.
“That’s why I want to contact you before using my ability, Sonia.”
We hadn’t yet shared our pheromones fully, so the imprinting hadn’t completed. Cassius’ curse had to be lifted manually through contact.
However, we had been almost inseparable since yesterday, so there was likely no need for that.
I stood on tiptoe and moved closer to him.
“I can already see your real intentions.”
“Was I that obvious?”
“Yes. I’ll let you off once, so be honest.”
“In truth, the ability is just an excuse. I want to kiss you, Sonia.”
When I called him out, he immediately corrected himself.
Perhaps he feared I might change my mind, but his sudden change in demeanor was endearing.
“Come here.”
Cassius placed both hands on the wall.
His tall figure completely blocked my view, and he kissed me.
A while later, Jurgen returned after cross-checking the records of everyone who had accessed the Mage Tower.
Cassius spoke.
“Have you verified the identities of all alchemists in the Mage Tower?”
“Yes. Except for the deceased Mage Tower Lord, no one is missing. I also checked outsiders; no one visited the Mage Tower yesterday.”
No one had exited the tower, and no visitors had entered.
Then it was highly likely that Lloyd was hiding among the alchemists in the Mage Tower, or among the holy knights and priests who visited the tower.
Jurgen gave his opinion.
“If the target gains the cursed ability after transfer, we should check each body once.”
“……”
“The alchemists who lost their lord will cooperate since they are confused. The knights and priests will follow Your Highness’ orders willingly. Shall we proceed with the investigation?”
Cassius hesitated briefly.
I understood why—his body also bore the mark of the curse.
Checking the holy knights and priests could raise suspicions.
‘Come to think of it, His Highness Cassius always changes alone, doesn’t he?’
Once that thought arose, it could lead others to question why Cassius avoids showing his body to others.
Cassius spoke.
“You have my permission.”
“Yes. We’ll begin the inspection immediately.”
Jurgen, obeying the order, vanished.
I took Cassius’ hand while he stood lost in thought. Our eyes met, and he gave a wry smile.
“Sonia, let’s go to the main palace together.”
The distance from the villa to the main palace was considerable.
Walking together would give us a chance to talk.
I nodded and headed toward the main palace with Cassius.
Thankfully, the path was quiet and empty, allowing us to focus on our conversation.
I glanced at him. His lips were firmly set as he walked straight ahead.
“You’re worried about the cursed ability you possess, aren’t you?”
“Yes. If my ability is revealed… the consequences are unpredictable.”
The Holy Nation doesn’t recognize powers outside of holy energy, like psychic abilities or alchemy.
If it became known that the Saint King possesses psychic power, it would cause a huge scandal.
There was no precedent, so the outcome was impossible to predict.
Cassius chuckled.
“Ah, now that I think about it, quite a few people know I have this ability.”
“Lieutenant Isaac?”
“Yes. And even the Emperor of the Empire knows.”
Huh?
“I suspect the Grand Duke knows as well.”
Wait—Isaac, okay, but the Emperor and Schwarz too? Since when did they know?
Seeing my shocked expression, he spoke nonchalantly.
“Still, the Emperor has shown no intention of revealing it. The Grand Duke, I’m not sure. And Schwarz seems to be keeping quiet as well.”
If I voiced any opinions, it might seem like I was defending Schwarz, so I asked Cassius himself.
“What will you do, Cassius?”
“I plan to continue hiding it. If it is revealed, I will step down myself.”
He spoke casually, but that’s a huge deal.
“Even if I step down, I will not give up on Sonia.”
“……”
“I will never give up on the one I truly want, no matter what it takes.”
