Episode 64
“Just tell me if it’s affecting your health.”
“Yeah. That’s what I’m most concerned about.”
Her eyes moved from one to the other. Perhaps it was the flickering candlelight in the room, or the string of unexpected conversations, but her deep violet eyes shimmered.
“…There’s no problem.”
Her coral lips moved slowly.
“And I’m not sick anymore.”
“Is that really true?”
His voice brightened immediately. There was no doubt about the joy in it, and Luisa nodded obediently.
“I think I was sick because of the sudden emergence of divine power. I must’ve gotten past the worst of it. I’m fine now.”
“Because of the divine power…?”
“That’s a relief. Really, thank goodness.”
Seeing how happy they were, she didn’t want to tell them it was actually from coughing up blood due to demonic energy.
And looking at their proud, admiring eyes—rather than showing concern or jealousy—made her feel like all her past worries had been pointless.
‘The people in this life… they’re not like the family from my previous one…’
Luisa forced down a bitter smile and spoke calmly.
“I guess I have a decent amount of divine power. I accidentally touched a corrupted holy flower once, and it purified. After that, I asked Priest Yoran to teach me how to use divine power properly.”
“You purified a corrupted holy flower? I mean… if you were able to purify Father’s demonic energy, then…”
“Then only Priest Yoran knew about this?”
“Ah, yes. Since it’s divine power, I was afraid that if I spoke carelessly, I’d get caught up in something unnecessary. I kept it hidden. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything.”
“Don’t apologize.”
“You made the right call. It was a smart choice.”
“…Really? Truly?”
“Truly.”
With a gentle smile, Damian stroked Luisa’s hair. The Duke, who had been quietly watching them, slowly nodded his head.
Luisa awkwardly looked away from the subtle smile forming on the Duke’s lips.
“So, what are you planning now? If you’re going to keep this a secret, I’ll take care of today’s incident.”
“You can handle it?”
“Nothing is impossible. No matter what it takes.”
Seeing the Duke’s fierce, determined eyes, like he’d personally tie up every loose end, Luisa couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. He didn’t look at all like someone who nearly died just a short while ago.
“You don’t have to go that far. Just help keep things quiet. I think I’ll need to go to the Great Temple anyway.”
“The Great Temple? Why?”
“…My divine power has grown too vast. I need to speak with the Archbishop. I only planted a few holy flowers in the greenhouse corner, but when I came back today, it was completely overrun with them.”
“So that holy flower earlier was from your greenhouse?”
“Yeah. I asked Priest Yoran about it, and he advised me to consult the Archbishop at this point…”
Damian and the Duke both looked grave.
“What do you think? Is it something you have to do?”
“Mm… I mean, a new saintess just appeared recently. I’m worried they’ll lump me in with her just because I have a bit of divine power now. I really hate troublesome situations.”
“Then I’ll arrange for a discreet meeting, away from prying eyes.”
“Huh? Is that even possible?”
“Like I said—nothing is impossible.”
“…Please don’t force anything to make it happen.”
She didn’t know what kind of person the Archbishop was, and she didn’t want to stir trouble and make things even more complicated.
Luisa smiled faintly—half resigned, half relieved.
“You should rest. Even if you feel better, you’re probably still tired.”
She patted the bed gently, as if telling the Duke to lie down. Before, she would’ve left right away, but after talking like this, he no longer felt as intimidating.
The Duke smiled back at her with an expression oddly similar to hers.
“I’m fine. There are still things I need to instruct Brown on before I rest.”
“Is it about the tunnel?”
Now that she thought about it, they had mentioned the tunnel earlier. Curiosity welled up. She shuffled around a bit, hoping to listen in without looking too nosy, while the two men kept talking as if it were no big deal.
“Yes.”
“I only heard briefly from the knight, so I’m curious. The miasma that attacked Father today was much stronger than what we’ve seen near the borders. I’d like to help trace where it came from.”
“Mm. We need to search not just the area around the temple, but farther out too. We’ve begun investigating the Berre forest area.”
“That’s where even animals don’t tread, right?”
“Exactly. So I thought we’d better check, and in the middle of it, we found a tunnel. It was fairly well hidden, but signs of neglect are easy to spot over time.”
A tunnel? In a place like that? Luisa tilted her head slightly, focusing on the conversation.
“But when I tried to step into it and investigate, black smoke suddenly poured out, and monsters appeared.”
“What? And not even near the border?”
“Right. No warning, nothing. We’ll have to follow the traces to be sure, but those monsters were unlike the ones we’ve seen before.”
“…How were they different?”
The Duke furrowed his brow, as if recalling the memory. He stared into space and spoke in a low voice.
“They were tougher. Faster. I struggled to keep up.”
“If you say you struggled… then I should go and check for myself.”
“No. It’s better to go with me next time. That’s not a place to enter lightly. We’ll need to be well-prepared.”
Luisa, who had been silently listening, carefully spoke up.
“…Then did those monsters cause your demonic poisoning?”
The Duke slowly shook his head.
“No. I fell into the tunnel during the fight, and the miasma overwhelmed me.”
“Just like that?”
“No. It’s more like the miasma came from deeper inside. I couldn’t check thoroughly, but I definitely saw something in there.”
…What? A tunnel? And now miasma’s coming from it?
This wasn’t the time to be comparing things to the original story. Everything she heard today was completely new. It was too serious to brush off and definitely not something she could watch from the sidelines.
Even today, the Duke nearly died in a place without a saintess. Just because someone was a protagonist didn’t mean they couldn’t die. Everyone else was just a side character—there were no guarantees.
‘…And maybe even the main characters’ lives aren’t so secure anymore.’
Luisa looked at the Duke and Damian with a troubled expression. Outside, the moon had sunk deep into the night sky.
Although she hadn’t been in the North for long, Luisa thought it was best to head to the capital earlier than planned.
She might know how to use her divine power, but there could be things she didn’t yet understand. To be safe, she decided to consult the Great Temple.
The Duke, Blake, recovered in just one day.
Just two days ago, he seemed on the verge of death—but now, he looked so healthy it felt like a dream.
‘Well, no wonder he went straight to inspect the forest the moment he woke up…’
To avoid further incidents, he decided not to enter the tunnel again recklessly.
Since Luisa was going to the Great Temple, it was better to get advice there before taking action.
Technically, they should’ve reported everything to the Imperial Court first. But the Duke, always prioritizing what needed to be done quickly, brushed that aside as too troublesome.
‘He really doesn’t care about what the Emperor thinks. No wonder he keeps shouting “nothing is impossible.”’
Luisa looked calmly at Damian and the Duke standing before her.
“You’re really coming with me? Aren’t things busy here?”
“It’s fine. I can’t let you meet the Archbishop alone.”
“Ah…”
“There’s no such thing as a truly safe place. You have to be extra careful during times like this.”
For a second, she wondered if they were coming just to keep an eye on her in case she caused trouble—but before she could finish the thought, the Duke explained himself. She felt slightly embarrassed, yet strangely warmed.
Luisa scratched her cheek and nodded.
“Is that why you called me here? I already finished packing. There’s no way Father and I would’ve let you go alone.”
Damian, watching her with a smile, added,
“Oh, no, it’s not because of that…”
“It’s not? Then what is it?”
They had gathered in the office because Luisa had asked for a moment before departure. It was almost time to leave, and both Damian and the Duke looked curious.
“…”
Luisa hesitated, then slowly brought out the hands she had been hiding behind her back. Two neatly wrapped boxes appeared.
“…These are protection stones. It’s nothing fancy, but I picked them up.”
She handed one to each of them.
The two men stared at the boxes in silence, stunned. Their identical violet eyes wavered.
“Um… you’re not going to take them?”
Luisa scrunched her nose, clearly embarrassed. That finally prompted Damian and the Duke to blink and gently take the boxes.
“When did you…? You bought these for us?”
“I got them during the festival. They weren’t expensive. I just thought the meaning behind them was nice.”
