episode_0013

It was an excruciating pain, a familiar pain. At the same time, this pain was also proof that I was still alive. It was tiring, but at the same time, he was a welcome witness to my life.

Was it because the hug with that welcome witness was so strong? My eyelids, which had been tightly closed, opened.

“… Where am I?”

I found myself muttering to myself when I saw the ceiling for the first time.

“God is by your side.”

“I see, am I dead?”

This excruciating pain seemed to follow me to the end of hell. Even though we haven’t been together for that long.

“… It’s not the afterlife, it’s the church.”

When I heard the word church, I stood up and looked around, and I saw the inside of the church, not the fire of hell.

“It’s a really tough rope. I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to just close my eyes.”

“The weak and fragile rope was forcibly tied.”

The man who claimed to have tied up my lifeline, which was almost broken, was acting quite peculiar.

Looking at the attire, it was clear that he was a priest, but his size clearly belonged to a knight, not a priest.

“My name is Camille, the head priest of this cathedral.”

Those hands were also the hands of a warrior offering up an enemy to a god, not a hand praying to a god.

“I…”

“There is no need to give a fake last name. Count Bergé.”

At that moment, without realizing it, I grabbed the cane that was lying next to me.

I even told the maid and coachman to stop me, and I haven’t told anyone my real last name since I came here.

“You are talking about a castle that is no longer mine. And who are you to know that?”

If this person is a servant of a demon or a dragon, I have no choice but to kill this person no matter what infamy I risk.

If you killed a native of this village, even a priest, you would definitely be hated, but that wasn’t important. Yes, my reputation is good no matter what.

“Depending on your answer, I will kill you on the spot. Even if you don’t answer, they will kill you. Of course, even if you tell a lie, you will be killed.”

“How could I lie to you?”

“The answer I asked for is not such a meaningless question.”

“… You’re impatient. A person who cares more about his own work than anyone else.”

He sighed and answered in a slightly calmer voice.

“I was a Holy Knight of the Holy Kingdom in the past. Even though I retired after being shot in the stomach by an arrow, I have seen you guys fight.”

Indeed, if he was from a Holy Knight, his large size and ugly hands could also be explained. It’s still unclear whether that’s true.

He had a peaceful face as if he was enjoying tea time. Even though he knew that I was the Count of Bergé, he did not give me a hateful look.

“When I first saw your face, I was also skeptical.”

“My appearance hasn’t changed much.”

“There is no way you would be kicked out to a remote area like this. The hero who slaughtered the dragons that were causing trouble for the Union.”

“Get rid of the flattery that makes you blush.”

Among my majors, there were killings out of necessity, there were massacres committed out of anger, and there were also massacres that were clear mistakes.

And I’ve never been proud of those things either.

“… But after seeing your physical condition today, I was able to guess the reason.”

Father Camille had confident eyes. As if he understood everything.

“Dragon King’s poison.”

“That’s the correct answer.”

“How on earth can you survive after something like that? No, no matter how much painkiller you swallow, the pain won’t go away.”

It seemed that the fact that he was from a Holy Knight was not a lie. There would be only a few people who would know information about the Dragon King. It was clear that he was in a very high position among the Holy Knights.

okay. In fact, as he said, painkillers could only relieve the pain to some extent, but could not eliminate the pain itself.

“Can I ask about the intensity of that pain…?”

“Subjective opinions won’t be helpful, so let me give you an expert’s opinion.”

The imperial doctor, who examined my body and the nature of the poison, made this comment.

“They said that even if you take painkillers, you will often feel pain similar to having a tooth pulled out without anesthesia.”

I didn’t know there were units for things like pain, but that was his opinion.

“In fact, I often feel similar feelings.”

“How on earth can you maintain your senses?”

“… That’s how it happened. Because I experienced pain that felt like my heart was being ripped out. The pain of having a tooth pulled out is just insignificant.”

Like most pain in this world, I only endured it because I was able to endure it. It wasn’t that I was great or anything.

In the first place, there is no such thing as a unit of pain. Everyone feels their pain is greater, but is there such a thing as an absolute unit?

“Anyway, how did I get brought here?”

“Cecilia That child carried the lord on his back. They say the seizures don’t go away even after taking medication.”

“I am indebted to many people today. I’ll have to say thank you separately later.”

I was thinking of helping if there was anything I could do, but I ended up getting help instead.

“And I should say thank you to you too. Thanks to you, I survived.”

“I just did what I was supposed to do as a priest.”

When I came out, the sun was already setting.

Even though I wasted the few remaining days like this, it wasn’t a waste at all.

Why can’t I feel emptiness? It’s definitely a waste, though. All that happened today was sharing bread with an unknown old man, showing off a skill in front of the adventurer named Cecilia and the children, and talking a few words with this priest.

But why do I feel more fulfilled than the days at the mansion? What is this emotion I am feeling right now and what is the element that underlies it?

“… I don’t know.”

I probably won’t know the reason for this faithfulness until I die.

Thinking such useless thoughts, I hurried to the Yeongjugwan. I was hoping that there would be no pork or onions for dinner.

###

After finishing a light meal, I told my friends about what happened today through Magic Tool.

“Ho-oh, I can’t believe our stuffy Mok-seok felt that way.”

“By the way, Raoul. Didn’t I always remind you to take your medicine? It’s a medicine made with expensive ingredients, but I completely forgot about it…”

Indeed, these two were not of much help in analyzing the cause of the faithfulness I felt.

His Majesty was laughing, as if he found my feelings funny, and the Empress reprimanded me for not taking the medicine.

I even thought that it might be better to just cut off the circuit of this magic tool and go to sleep.

“……”

“My soul went out again due to the empress’s scolding.”

“Take your hands off Raoul’s magic tool circuit.”

You wouldn’t be able to see me touching the magic tool’s circuitry.

“Raul, you can see everything even if you can’t see it, so take your hands off.”

As expected, the Empress was a scary person. On the contrary, it may be because he is like this that he is suitable as a companion for His Majesty, who is not very serious.

“Anyway, my lady, you kept your mouth shut. It only happens once in a thousand years.”

Of course, I had no idea that Camilla would remain so silent. She was also a person who talked as much as His Majesty.

“… Raoul. Can I ask you one question?”

“Anything I can answer.”

“Speaking of that woman named Cecilia… is she pretty?”

Then, not only I but also His Majesty and the Empress were surprised.

I never thought she would ask something like that. Who would have expected it?

“Interesting. I never thought the young lady would be so honest today.”

“Camilla, in this way…”

Since appearance is a subjective matter, it was not possible to give a clear answer.

But at the same time, I wanted to know the extent to which I asked such questions.

“Camilla.”

That’s why I decided to ask her a question first before commenting on her appearance.

“Is the reason you haven’t found a partner yet because you like women?”

As if my reasoning was correct, even His Majesty, who speaks a lot, opened his mouth, unable to continue his words.

“Even if you have that preference, I can respect it.”

“No, wait a minute.”

“Let’s analyze from an objective point of view, not a subjective one. She had pure white hair that could have been used in a painting, clear eyes, a socially acceptable beauty, and a body similar to the models in statues.”

Aside from that, there were some objective factors that could help us judge her as a beauty, but I felt like it would be a long story, so I left them out.

“If you consider those factors in combination, yes. You could call her a beauty.”

” Wow, Mr. Lee… I don’t know about this.”

After listening to my analysis, His Majesty walked away with an expression on his face that showed he did not want to be involved in this matter.

And Camilla stared at the magic tool with a smiling face and adjusted her favorite song.

“Hahaha… Hahahaha… Okay, I’ll come visit you sometime. See you then.”

“There is no way she will like a woman, but you can ask her if you want.”

“Phew… There’s no need to do that, so just wash your neck and wait.”

“I always keep my body clean. There is no need to wash the neck separately.”

Camilla was smiling and blood was standing on her face.

“Okay. It’s going to disappear anyway, so what’s the point of washing it? I’ll hang up. This line and your name.”

She immediately turned off the magic tool, and now all that was left was Her Majesty, who was holding her forehead as if she was in pain.

“Can you tell me why she was so angry?”

“Not knowing that is the biggest problem, Raoul.”

“There is no answer.”

“Yes, there is no answer. You.”

The Empress sighed deeply, then took a deep breath and spoke again.

“I plan to visit your house tomorrow.”

“Is that so.”

“I have something to tell your sister. Aside from that, there are also things I want to teach you.”

“… Even though I am a weak little sister, please take good care of me.”

Although the Empress was so scary that even Her Majesty and Camilla would tremble when she was angry, she was basically a very kind person.

There was no need to worry, as it would be unlikely that Her Majesty would cross the line.

Rather, I felt relieved to have someone like an empress looking after my sister.

“… Yes. I will take responsibility and teach you. So don’t worry Raoul.”