Ch.118Chapter 118 – The Chancellor’s Unspeakable Worry

The day after Eterna took away Bishop Demiurge.

“May the grace of light be abundant. I am from the Order of Healing, Count Pathos Severio.”

A priest from the Order of Healing visited my hospital room.

His name was Luke. He was said to be quite a renowned priest within the Order of Healing.

“Your arms and legs were broken in the explosion, but fortunately, there are no significant injuries near your chest and abdomen.”

Being a priest of the Order of Healing, Luke seemed able to check my condition just by looking at my body with his eyes.

“Will the treatment take long?”

“I thought it would be serious, but looking at your condition, a day should be sufficient. I don’t know who provided initial treatment, but the broken bones have been set properly, and the wounds are well sutured. Simply pouring healing power doesn’t automatically heal wounds or return broken bones to their original positions.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. If we attempt to heal bones while they’re still broken, they’ll heal in that broken state. In that regard, Count Severio, you’ve received very appropriate treatment.”

Phew. I don’t know who provided the emergency care, but I’m truly grateful.

If I ever find out who it was, I should give them a thank-you gift.

“Now I’ll begin the treatment. Please bear with any sensations of something crawling or itching around your wounds. That means the wounds are healing normally.”

“I understand.”

“Just relax your entire body and lie comfortably.”

I did as Luke instructed, relaxing and entrusting my body to the bed.

“Goddess of Healing, here is one who needs your help. Having survived an attack by the most wicked, somehow still alive. Now grant him the strength to continue his life.”

Hmm. He seems to be praying before healing, but the content of the prayer sounds a bit strange…

It’s almost like saying someone who nearly died is about to lose their life, so please help them.

‘Is my condition that serious?’

I wasn’t sure. For now, it seemed there was no answer except to wait until the healing was complete.

◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈

When the treatment ended, Pathos had fallen asleep.

“Phew. We barely made it through this crisis.”

Beads of sweat formed on Luke’s forehead after completing Pathos’s treatment.

He was on the verge of collapse from exhaustion.

As a priest belonging to the Order of Healing, he had treated countless patients, but never had he encountered someone so difficult to heal.

As Luke wiped the sweat from his forehead and caught his breath, the door to the hospital room opened, and Regina walked in.

“Is the treatment finished?”

“It was a close call. If we had been even a little later, it would have been dangerous.”

Though Pathos appeared normal on the surface, to Luke, who had spent years treating patients, this was far from the truth.

“In my career treating patients—whether you consider it long or short—this was the worst condition I’ve ever seen.”

“Was it that serious?”

“Yes.”

Luke’s eyes held firm determination as he answered Regina’s question.

“Most people think that if the outside looks fine, the healing is complete, but in reality, internal healing takes priority. External wounds can be treated with potions, but damage to the body’s internal systems cannot be healed with potions.”

Luke’s gaze turned toward Pathos.

“I don’t know what madmen were responsible, but Count Pathos Severio’s internal condition was critical. Most of his organs were not functioning properly, and his body’s healing ability had drastically decreased.”

“What was the cause?”

“The alchemical reagents used in the explosion. It seems they deliberately used extremely potent reagents to kill him. Usually, the more potent the reagent, the higher the possibility of explosion and the more harmful it is to the human body.”

Luke was now gritting his teeth as he looked at Pathos, who was sleeping peacefully.

“What kind of lunatics would do such a thing?”

“……”

“I dedicated my life to the Order of Healing thirty years ago. Even as an Archbishop, I’ve never had a patient this difficult to treat. If I hadn’t been here, this patient would have…”

Luke’s voice trailed off.

“…died. Without a doubt.”

At Luke’s words suggesting that Pathos could have died in the worst-case scenario, Regina’s eyebrows trembled slightly.

This indicated that the current situation was important enough to momentarily break Regina’s composure.

“But he’s alive, isn’t he?”

“I barely managed to save him. However, he’ll need nutritious meals to recover his strength and boost his body’s natural healing ability.”

“For how long?”

“At least half a year. And he’ll need physical training as well.”

If Pathos himself had heard this, he would have exclaimed something like, “What nonsense is this! Exercise? Me, exercising?!” But what could be done when the person in question was asleep?

“Well… I’ll express my gratitude to the Order of Healing separately. Thank you so much for coming despite your busy schedule.”

“Not at all. Actually… the moment I entered this room, the Goddess spoke to me.”

“The Goddess… spoke?”

Regina raised one eyebrow slightly at Luke’s mention of hearing the Goddess’s voice.

This indicated that she was quite surprised.

“Yes. She said, ‘Save this person by any means necessary.’ So I truly used every method at my disposal without reservation.”

Luke gave an awkward smile.

As someone who had risen to the position of Archbishop, he knew how serious it was to hear the Goddess’s voice, and thus he had no choice but to do his utmost in the treatment.

“Well, I suppose my passing by this area was also the Goddess’s intention. Hahaha.”

Luke asked Regina to take good care of the patient and left the room.

After Luke’s departure, only Regina and Pathos remained in the space.

Regina carefully approached Pathos and sat in the chair placed near the bed.

As she looked down at Pathos, who was sleeping with shallow breaths, her gaze held worry and anxiety.

Count Pathos Severio.

When they first met, he was a man with a strange ability.

But with his ability, he had completely resolved the curse disguised as “side effects of the elixir” that had been eating away at Regina’s body.

Not only that, but thanks to her now nearly perfect body, her magic had become much more precise and powerful than before.

She was already grateful for having the curse lifted, but he had also helped her become stronger.

“Really… you are…”

Pathos didn’t need to make any effort to raise Regina’s affection; it was growing naturally on its own.

“You have a talent for surprising people.”

The expressionless face of Regina had softened, and a gentle smile was now forming on her face.

She used a Clean magic spell on Pathos’s body.

Since Pathos was in a cast and bandages, showering or bathing was impossible.

So Regina would use Clean magic whenever she visited the hospital room to maintain proper hygiene.

“You really are a strange person. You…”

Regina couldn’t understand why she had become so interested in this man named Pathos.

No.

She knew the reason but was deliberately avoiding it.

There was only one reason.

“There’s no way that I… I, a Grand Magician, could have fallen for a man at first sight.”

Her inner thoughts were more like an excuse, and in reality, she was simply embarrassed.

There was another real reason why Regina couldn’t be more proactive with Pathos.

‘The age difference is… too great… At this rate, we wouldn’t be like an older sister and younger brother, but more like a grandmother and grandson…’

It was because of the age difference between herself and Pathos.

Although Regina had essentially transcended the concept of age after reaching the realm of Grand Magician,

The concept of age still remained with her.

Unless one was a dragon who enjoyed amusements throughout a long life, recognizing the age difference between oneself and another was the most natural human instinct.

‘If I were just 100 years younger, I would be more proactive…’

Regina lamented that she couldn’t be more forward because of the age difference between herself and Pathos.

However, there was something she didn’t know… that she actually matched Pathos’s preferences perfectly.

“Could you… like someone older than yourself, like me?”

Regina posed the question to Pathos, but the person who should answer was still fast asleep.