Chapter 69
When our eyes met, Hyst raised the corners of his mouth nonchalantly.
“Just like the princess tends to be suspicious, I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t hide what I think.”
“……”
“But if I just said, ‘Trust me, I don’t lie!’ it would look even more suspicious, right? So I proved it in a slightly extreme way.”
“You call that… words?”
“Whether there were restrictions or not, it wouldn’t have changed anything about me. I’m not the type to lie.”
Hyst emphasized.
“This was my choice, and I’ll live as I normally do. So, princess, don’t hold any unnecessary feelings. Got it?”
“…Ha, haha.”
His face was so calm.
Maybe that’s why?
The heaviness and guilt were slowly melting away.
“Are you really okay with all this?”
“I told you, I don’t deal in lies.”
“So that means what you just said isn’t a lie either?”
“Exactly. I don’t want to be a fool.”
[Huh? You were already a fool, though.]
[Yep~, still a fool~.]
[Tsk, not knowing your place.]
[Yep. Fool, indeed, and reckless too.]
The murmuring of the spirits lightened my mental burden just a little.
“Can’t you lie to anyone else either?”
“Anyone else? Well—maybe if there’s a need. I’m not that inflexible.”
Hyst muttered indifferently, meeting my gaze.
“But this? This is certain.”
His voice was firm.
“I won’t deceive you. Even if it costs me my life.”
At those words, I stared at him, forgetting how to breathe.
Hyst didn’t avert his eyes either, as if wanting to assert his sincerity.
After a long silence, he looked slightly embarrassed and began to offer an excuse.
“Ahem… but I admit it was a bit over the top. Normally, I wouldn’t have used this method.”
“……”
“But today was full of chaos. That silver-haired guy, breaking Dimodi’s seal… I got a little excited. You understand how I feel, right, princess?”
Was he trying to relieve some of my burden? Hyst’s voice took on a playful tone.
I just kept staring at him endlessly.
Then, Hyst, who had been cheerfully talking, suddenly froze.
“Princess, are you crying?”
“What?”
At that moment, tears I hadn’t even realized had formed streamed down my cheeks.
It was very rare.
Tears that flowed naturally, not intentionally created to deceive anyone.
‘Why am I like this?’
Even I didn’t fully understand why I was crying.
But one thing was clear…
With the guilt and burden gone, an indescribable sense of relief filled my heart.
Without thinking to wipe them, I just sat dazed as Hyst quickly wiped my tears with his hand.
I quietly accepted his clumsy gesture, muttering as if making an excuse.
“I normally cry easily.”
“Really? These tears seem sincere.”
“…Think whatever you want.”
“Hm, fair enough~.”
I couldn’t help but smile at his light response.
Then Hyst, slightly flustered, smiled along with me.
“I’ve said everything. Now it’s your turn, princess.”
“……”
“After all I’ve done, you can’t ignore me anymore, right?”
“Okay, I give up.”
At that moment, I realized.
I needed someone I could lean on, not just the spirits.
And I needed that very desperately.
“That’s it.”
“Wow—.”
Gently, I told him everything that had happened.
It was the first time I had ever been so honest with another person.
‘I feel a little relieved, somehow.’
Is this why people want to share their stories?
While pondering this, Hyst, having heard my story, crossed his arms.
“So, now the princess is the same as the other Lornods?”
“Most likely… perfect timing. Hyst, you can use healing magic, right?”
I asked, pulling a small utility knife from my desk.
Hyst frowned slightly and asked.
“Of course, but… you don’t mean you want to test it now?”
“You have to be here for it. When else would I do it?”
If my guess was wrong, it would just leave unnecessary wounds.
Although there were many potions here, none could instantly heal a wound.
“I need you as insurance to feel at ease.”
“Ahem, well, I can’t stop you if you put it that way.”
Hyst cleared his throat with a strangely proud look, then removed the knife from my hand.
“But there’s no need to hurt yourself in front of a grand mage! Now, hand!”
“……”
I extended my hand as instructed, and he smiled slightly, lowering the glove I had on.
My pale arm was revealed.
“Is this enough?”
“Yes.”
Whirr-.
As soon as I responded, his fingers gathered magical energy.
I watched with astonishment.
‘I couldn’t even feel magic before, let alone see it.’
Magic had always felt distant to me.
But maybe now, after contracting with all nine spirits, I could clearly sense more than just their presence.
‘If I practice, I might be able to control it too.’
Curious, I asked Hyst.
“How is this different from just using a knife?”
“Much better. No pain, and it’s hygienic.”
There’s always disinfectant anyway.
But I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable, so I didn’t say more.
Instead, I closely observed the flow of his magic. Hyst spoke, slightly tense.
“Here we go.”
“Anytime.”
Ssshhh-.
The sharp, blade-like magic grazed my arm.
And…
[Oh! It doesn’t hurt at all!]
[It’s real~, just like the royal family~.]
[This is the true power of the master!]
[Master, now, no more injuries!]
“Really, no wound at all?”
“Do it again.”
Hyst ran the magic across my arm several times more, and still, no wound appeared.
It was like touching a mirror with bare hands—no harm done.
“Harder.”
“Hm, even a Lornod would bleed from that.”
“That’s what I want.”
“…Alright.”
Hyst exhaled softly and focused the magic in his fingers more actively.
Then the sharpened magic grazed my arm again, this time causing blood to emerge and a small wound to form.
“Ah! I knew this would happen!”
Hyst panicked, preparing healing magic.
I grabbed his arm to stop him.
“Wait.”
“Why? …Oh!”
Healing magic wasn’t necessary.
Left alone, the blood slowly stopped and the wound began to heal naturally.
‘Just like a Lornod’s self-healing.’
The wound healed in an instant.
Looking at the area in amazement, Hyst grinned.
“As expected, the princess has inherited that transcendental body.”
“We’ll need more experiments to know for sure.”
Yes, it’s too early to be certain.
How my body reacts to poison.
If someone tries to kill me, whether death is reflected onto them.
There’s still much to confirm.
‘Come to think of it, when Lornods tried to kill each other, reflection didn’t occur.’
But I’m not a Lornod—what would happen in my case?
-You are the only one in this world who can kill me.
The dragon’s whisper came to mind.
If that’s true… could I really kill a Lornod?
“Do you guys know?”
[That’s… uh, we don’t know!]
[We don’t remember everything either~.]
[Hmm, something else might come back to us.]
[Time… is needed…!]
Unfortunately, the spirits weren’t certain either.
Then… maybe I should try ingesting a weak poison myself first.
It’s easy to make here in the greenhouse.
‘If my body tolerates it, I can gradually try stronger poisons.’
I can prepare antidotes in advance, just in case.
While thinking this, someone poked my arm.
I looked up to see Hyst narrowing his eyes at me.
“Princess, you’re having scary thoughts alone again, aren’t you?”
“…No.”
“Lying.”
“I’m serious.”
‘It doesn’t matter as long as it’s not scary for me, right?’
I stuck to my shameless attitude. Hyst studied me carefully, then smiled.
“Don’t overdo it. Let’s go to the Papal Court together.”
“Papal Court?”
“You agreed to come with me, remember? On the condition we look after Moren!”
“I remember.”
“Good. This time, we’ll set the date for sure! The Pope has been waiting for you, too. If we contact him, he’ll arrange a time immediately.”
“You know I can’t leave the palace.”
“Then we’ll teleport! Sneaking around is my specialty~.”
“Right, eavesdropping is your specialty too.”
“Exactly. That silver hair helped me discover talents I didn’t know I had.”
Hyst smoothly countered my joke, then suddenly changed his tone.
