Ch.158Miracle (5)

Rie Hezedia.

A familiar character to anyone who’s played the game. She didn’t appear frequently enough to be considered a regular in Grim Darker, but…

She was often involved in various situations since the third installment took place across the entire Empire.

And unless the player chose the Swordsman class, one of the warrior subclasses, Rie Hezedia was bound to be a memorable character as she maintained her position as the Empire’s Greatest Swordmaster.

Being both the Empire’s Finance Minister and an exceptional swordmaster made her an unforgettable character.

I too knew Rie Hezedia. Because I knew her, I wasn’t particularly surprised when I made her the target of my Miracle Manifestation.

At the same time, I could understand that Valterok hadn’t betrayed us but was simply held back.

At first, I wondered what Valterok was doing that prevented him from helping us in such a situation.

But the Empire’s Greatest Swordmaster Rie Hezedia was holding him back?

It made sense that he couldn’t come. When it came to holding one’s ground against powerful opponents, there was no one better than her across the entire continent.

The only one who might come close would be Faber the Justice Judge, but…

Even he wasn’t on Rie Hezedia’s level.

If Faber had been holding Valterok back, and Rie Hezedia had tried to stop Eshatherna.

Faber would probably have died. Valterok’s power wasn’t something that could be stopped by Faber’s martial arts.

So our reaction when Valterok first appeared with an unharmed Rie Hezedia was natural.

They were cooperating?

Frankly speaking, it was like a fed ADC and support coming to wreck the game—how could we possibly withstand that?

I had secretly planned to forcibly copy my sister’s or Esha’s techniques through Miracle Manifestation to buy time if that happened.

Fortunately, it didn’t come to that.

“I surrender.”

I recalled the memory. The Finance Minister who had descended, turning her emotionless brown eyes toward me, had said:

“Perhaps you could use a capable merchant, my lord?”

She spoke as if offering a free sample, but her intention needed no explanation.

She had defected. She decided it was better to serve me than the Emperor.

Of course, I didn’t immediately accept, considering the possibility that it could be a false surrender with the intention of betraying us later.

But that would be resolved through interrogation.

If we couldn’t trust her and her deception was revealed, well…

I’d have to leave her to Eshatherna.

If not, I could simply accept her offer.

Rie Hezedia was worth recruiting.

Her exceptional swordsmanship and status as the continent’s greatest merchant weren’t things to be overlooked.

So I made my way there early in the morning.

I lightly tapped my fingers on the closed door.

The crisp sound was pleasant to hear.

“Come in.”

The well-crafted and finished wooden door made almost no sound when opened. Instead, a pleasant texture could be felt through the handle.

Unlike the completely ruined temple, was the Nest untouched because enemies hadn’t penetrated it?

Everything in the Nest remained unchanged from before the subjugation.

And there, I saw the only girl who had completely changed.

Her eyes were tightly closed. Her lowered eyelashes formed a gentle curve, giving an impression of benevolence, but just looking at those eyelids made my heart ache.

If only I had taken the explosion head-on instead.

Or if I had deflected it completely.

If I had used Miracle Manifestation earlier.

As these thoughts crossed my mind and I closed my mouth, her mysteriously colored eyelashes trembled slightly.

“It’s not Luvellin’s fault.”

Her lips formed a gentle arc. Despite her words, I couldn’t readily agree.

“Really. You don’t need to worry about it.”

Melody’s eyes curved with concern.

But even with her reassurance, I couldn’t feel at ease.

And for good reason—Melody’s eyes had no chance of recovery.

‘The magical power has penetrated too deeply. There’s no hope.’

That’s what Ortemilia had said. It was what she told me when I hurriedly carried Melody after learning she had injured her eyes during the battle.

It was only natural that I lost sleep over those words. Even when I desperately tried to think of something else…

It was obviously not going to be easy.

It couldn’t be helped.

Eyes are vital organs.

Losing one’s sight meant disconnection from the world. It meant no longer seeing what you used to see, no longer being able to see beautiful things.

Melody tried to comfort me in my distress, saying that at least she wouldn’t have to see bad things anymore, and that losing her sight had actually improved her skills.

But was that really more important than her sight?

I didn’t think so. It was sad.

“Really, don’t just stand there, come here. And close the door. It’s cold.”

“…Yes.”

The door made no sound when closing either, but Melody noticed that I had closed it.

“How are you? Are you feeling alright?”

“I’m fine. I slept well, used recovery magic, and Ortemilia prescribed various remedies.”

Melody was indeed wearing nightclothes.

A white gown covered her body, and her hair and skin were damp with sweat.

“You seem to be sweating a lot. Is there something bothering you…?”

“Ah, I tend to sweat a lot when I sleep.”

Melody shrank her neck as if embarrassed, and I felt relieved.

Ah, if it’s just her constitution, there’s nothing to be done. At the same time, it’s good that she’s not sick.

Most causes of death are infection, internal bleeding, things like that.

“Still, please tell me if you’re uncomfortable anywhere. You’re still a patient, Melody.”

If I had to name the people who were injured the most at the temple, it would be Melody, myself, and the old man.

But I regenerated because I’m a homunculus, and the old man recovered quickly because he’s a mourner with high health.

Melody wasn’t like that. She didn’t have high health or good defense.

Just losing her eyes in the initial explosion proved that.

It was only natural that I felt guilty.

Melody, seemingly uncomfortable with receiving concern while showing her sweaty state, hugged her blanket and answered with a muffled “I understand.”

Only then could I bring up my purpose.

“So, when do you think you’ll be able to go for the interrogation?”

I knew.

When it came to interrogation, questioning, or investigation, Melody was the best in this temple.

Of course, having lost her eyes, she could no longer observe facial expressions or make detailed observations.

But yesterday, Melody had said that although she had lost her sight, her other senses had awakened even more.

That she could now observe people better than when she had eyes.

So we made a plan. After Rie Hezedia had rested, we would interrogate her together with Melody to uncover her true intentions.

That’s why I came to get Melody.

“You’ll need to change clothes and wash off the sweat.”

“About that.”

Melody released the blanket as if nothing had happened. As the blanket slid down, her attire was revealed in detail.

It was the kind of outfit that was uncomfortable to look at for long. The gown was thin, and parts of it were transparent where sweat had soaked through.

Melody definitely seemed to sweat a lot while sleeping. The parts supporting the gown, like the shoulders, were so soaked with sweat they were almost transparent.

Meanwhile, Melody’s senses were not much different from when she had eyes. I slightly rolled my eyes to avoid her gaze, or rather, her perception.

Melody said with a subtle hint of amusement:

“I usually wipe off my sweat first thing every morning. Being a new beastkin, I hardly smell of sweat… but it feels uncomfortable to leave it, and it could cause illness.”

“I suppose so.”

“I used to wipe myself with both dry and damp towels, but now I’m like this, you know?”

Unable to look away, I kept my gaze on Melody’s face as she pointed to her small face, specifically around her eyes.

It was disheartening just to look at it. Seeing my bitter expression, Melody panicked.

“Ah, I’m not trying to make you feel guilty…!”

“Ah, I know. It was, um, necessary. Yes.”

“Mmm, so… it’s a bit difficult for me to wipe myself.”

Is that so?

I couldn’t tell. Having never lost my sight, it was hard to even imagine what Melody’s current state was like.

And at the same time, an inexplicable anxiety crept in. I rolled my eyes to look at something in the corner of Melody’s room.

A small basin of water for washing and two towels.

While I didn’t think Melody would tell an obvious lie, seeing those items gave me an inexplicable sense of relief.

“Then shall I help you?”

It wouldn’t be difficult. Wetting a towel, handing it over, giving her a dry one… just helping her wash up.

Melody was overjoyed at my words.

“Ah, yes, that’s right. It would be really nice if you helped, but is it okay for me to accept so readily?”

That’s an odd way to put it. I tilted my head but then smiled.

“This much is something anyone could do. We have to go together anyway.”

“Right? Then…”

Melody’s smile was also strange. She seemed happy, but there was something… how should I put it?

A smile like I’d seen in comics.

The kind of smile one can only make when their scheme works perfectly. I couldn’t be certain because I couldn’t see her eyes.

Melody reached for her gown.

“Melody?!”

“What?”

She asked nonchalantly. I quickly turned my head away and heard Melody removing her gown.

The sound of sweat-soaked fabric brushing against skin, the subtle mixing of breaths, the sound of equally damp hair fluttering against the fabric.

Melody showed me her back and smiled.

“You’ll help me, right?”

Looking at her back, I was momentarily at a loss for words.

On her shoulder blades were traces where wings had been cut off.

A sight that momentarily left me speechless. After hesitating briefly, I got up and headed toward the washbasin.

I pulled the basin closer and grabbed the two towels.

I focused not on Melody’s fair, sweat-glistening naked body, but on her shoulder blades.

At least that would be more effective than thinking of the national anthem.

The pain of having her wings cut off, the subsequent sense of loss.

Perhaps her composure despite losing her eyes was due to that experience—a gloomy and heartbreaking prediction.

That helped calm my unnecessarily rushing divinity and blood flow, and with those sad thoughts in mind, I gripped the towel.

The slightly dampened towel sagged. Not dripping wet, just slightly moist.

Feeling the texture of the towel, I took a deep breath and said with a resolute attitude:

“Turn around. I’ll wash you.”

“I’m counting on you, okay?”

Seeing Melody’s reddened ears, I thought it was at least somewhat of a relief.