Episode 42 – The Saintess’s Son

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It has been two days since Daniel’s resurrection and the horrific incident that befell Dena.

Edward, Mella’s son, had been nursing Dena, staying by her side every day since the incident.

Edward, still not reducing his time with Tess, was even cutting back on sleep, spending most of his day caring for his younger siblings.

Despite the maids’ pleas that he would collapse, he shook his head and stayed by his siblings’ sides.

Edward wiped the sweat from Dena’s forehead with a cloth soaked in cold water.

Dena’s forehead was still incredibly hot, even through the cold cloth.

The doctor said that, fortunately, she had passed the critical point and her life was no longer in danger.

However, he also mentioned that the muscles in her bitten shoulder were torn so badly that she might have difficulty using that arm in the future.

Even more so than when she was walking around, Dena’s body, lying in bed, looked even more frail and small for an eight-year-old girl.

Too harsh and terrible events had befallen her in succession for someone so young.

Especially around her birthday.

Edward couldn’t hide his sorrow at the fact that all of this happened on and around her birthday, which should have been the most blessed time.

Dena’s forehead was burning hot as she whimpered, tears streaming from her tightly closed eyes.

Edward wiped away her tears, recalling the image of her crying in front of Daniel’s grave.

‘Why couldn’t I have told her not to go to the grave back then?’ he lamented.

Of course, there was no way Edward could have predicted that Daniel’s corpse would rise from that grave, but he couldn’t help but feel responsible for Dena’s injury.

She might have a lifelong disability.

Following Tess, now Dena too. Another reason had been added to why he could never give up until the Goddess-nim bestowed the divine power to perform a miracle of healing.

Ttokttok.

At the sound of someone knocking, Edward turned his gaze to the door.

“Edward-nim, I’m coming in.”

“Ah, yeah. Come in.”

The maid who entered the room was carrying a bucket of freshly drawn cold water and a clean cloth.

She bowed her head to Edward and said.

“You’ve been here since lunchtime. Please let me take over and get some rest.”

“Ah, what time is it now…”

“It’s four o’clock.”

“It’s already that late? Okay, I understand. Dena is sweating a lot, could you wipe her body and change her into fresh clothes?”

“Yes, I will.”

“Thank you for your hard work, I appreciate it.”

Edward got up from his seat, passed the maid, and left the room.

Four o’clock, she said.

Edward hurried towards Robin’s office.

He needed to borrow his father’s carriage to go to the capital’s cathedral to find a priest to bless Dena, and to report that undead had appeared in the city.

Edward rubbed his eyes as he walked down the hallway.

His eyelids were heavy, and his vision was spinning. He was definitely tired from not having slept properly for several days.

Arriving at the door of the office, Edward slapped his cheeks to wake himself up.

His father had to kill Daniel, who had been resurrected as an undead.

Robin must also be having a very hard time right now, so Edward carefully organized his thoughts and knocked on the door.

Ttokttok.

“Father, it’s me, Edward.”

There was no answer from inside.

Edward knocked on the door once more, but still, there was no reply.

“Is he not here?”

Edward put his ear to the door.

He heard a faint sigh from the other side of the door.

Confirming that Robin was inside, Edward placed his hand on the doorknob and said.

“Father, I’m coming in.”

Opening the door, he saw Robin standing in front of the fireplace.

The room was very dark, with all the lamps turned off and the curtains drawn over the windows, so the only light came from the fire in the fireplace.

Robin didn’t turn to look at Edward, standing there blankly with a glass in his hand.

Edward slowly approached Robin and said.

“Father, are you at peace?”

“…”

Robin emptied his glass without a word.

Even though he could only see Robin’s back, Edward could feel the sadness and anger he was feeling so intensely.

It was like looking at a venomous snake, coiled and ready to strike if touched the wrong way.

Edward felt sweat breaking out on his back.

His father had never disciplined him, but the terrifying atmosphere was reminiscent of the image Dena had described of him raising his fist to Aunt Jennifer.

However, Edward steeled his heart and continued, thinking of Dena lying in bed, unconscious for days.

“Father, I need to go somewhere for a while, so I was wondering if I could borrow a carriage.”

“Edward.”

“…Yes, yes!”

“Hoo…”

Robin picked up the bottle of liquor placed on the fireplace, refilled the empty glass, and handed it to Edward.

He had never tasted alcohol before, but the atmosphere was such that he couldn’t refuse, so Edward reached out with both hands and accepted the glass.

“Drink.”

“I, drinking is strictly forbidden for apprentice priests.”

“That’s unnecessary.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

Robin put the bottle to his mouth and gulped it down.

Edward stared at his father’s back, clutching the glass tightly.

Puh-

Robin let out a rough breath and took the bottle away from his mouth.

Then, without even wiping the liquor that had dripped from his mouth, he turned to face his son.

“Now that Daniel is dead, aren’t you my only son left in our family? Of course, you should quit being a priest.”

“…What the hell are you talking about right now?”

For a moment, Edward was so dumbfounded that the fear he had been feeling until now seemed to have vanished as he retorted.

His father must know perfectly well why he had decided to become a priest,

Robin’s words sounded like he was telling him to give up on Tess and Dena.

Edward didn’t bother to mince words.

“I swore before the Goddess-nim that I would not give up until I saved Tess. Besides, Dena has suffered a permanent disability. I can never do that.”

“…Edward, ha,”

Robin let out a hollow laugh.

“I really don’t like that name. I really hate that I have to pass my family on to you, who has such a name. But I have learned enough that I have to do things I don’t want to do.”

“I didn’t want to become a priest either. It’s not an easy path. But it was something I had to do. I can’t give up on my sister, no, my sisters.”

“Give up.”

“…!”

Robin strode towards Edward.

Edward slowly backed away, but Robin’s steps, though slow, had somehow reached right in front of Edward’s face.

As Robin got closer, the pungent smell of alcohol stung Edward’s nose.

Just from the smell, he could tell that he had drunk more than just a couple of glasses.

Robin spoke, breathing out the alcohol-laden breath.

“You want to borrow the carriage to go to the cathedral, right?”

“…That’s right.”

“Going to the cathedral is to find a priest to bless Dena, and,”

“Yes,”

“Then you’ll naturally say that Daniel has been resurrected as an undead.”

“…I’ll have to.”

“Right. You stupid thing.”

“…”

“We are currently under political threat. Those bug-like commoners, their eyes turned by the free meals of that dog-like Baron who has money coming out of his ass from somewhere, have forgotten what we have done for them so far and are spreading strange rumors.”

“…Father, you’ve had too much to drink.”

“Besides, that Baron is being cocky and won’t pay me the money he owes me because he scratched his arm a little, and my wives are ignoring me, and lately that pathetic Princess seems to be plotting something.”

“…Father, I’ll be going now, Keuak!”

Robin’s rough hand grabbed Edward by the collar and slammed him against the wall.

Edward dropped the glass he was holding and was slammed against the wall by Robin’s hand.

Robin sneered as he stepped on the glass Edward had dropped, shattering it.

“But, did you think I would allow you to go around blabbing that undead appeared in my backyard?”

“Keu…Keuek,”

“I can’t even imagine what those sons of bitches would say if they knew that my own son had become an undead.”

Edward, who was not used to violence, was stunned by the shock of Robin pushing him against the wall.

But, gritting his teeth, he grabbed Robin’s arm and barely managed to pry open his lips to speak.

“If you’re bitten by an undead, you’ll turn into one within fifteen days. Father also… knows that, right? To leave Dena like this…”

“Yes, I will leave her like this.”

“Are you saying you’ll let Dena become a monster!”

“No, I’ll have to take care of it.”

Robin hardened his expression and slowly opened his mouth.

Edward thought Robin’s expression looked like a monster.

No, maybe he felt that way because of what he was saying.

“Because eliminating monsters is the hero’s job.”

“…!”

Edward felt goosebumps all over his body.

But at the same time, he felt something hot rising in his stomach.

Something heavy and hot.

Was this the emotion called anger?

Feeling an intense emotion rising to the top of his head, Edward opened his mouth in a cold, sharp voice.

“Is it because Dena is the daughter of Duke Villard?”

“…How did you know that?”

“She’s only eight years old!”

Robin threw Edward off and stepped away from him.

Edward coughed and propped himself up against the wall.

Robin looked at Edward and then turned back to the fireplace and said.

“I’m sorry, my son.”

“…”

“I’m also sorry for everything that young one has gone through. It also breaks my heart that Tess’s body is getting weaker every day.”

“That’s why I won’t give up.”

“But, the family is more important than all of that.”

“Father!”

Edward looked down at the crunching sound.

He saw the shards of the broken glass he hadn’t noticed under his feet.

Edward felt that his family was being shattered into pieces like this glass due to the repeated unfortunate events.

And it was Robin in front of him who had stepped on and broken this glass.

“No matter how precious the liquor, what good is it if the glass is broken?”

“…So, you’re trying to give me a lesson like a priest.”

“Is the family more precious than the family members?”

“…Spend a lot of time with Dena. Edward. No matter how much you prepare for farewell, it always leaves regrets.”

Edward couldn’t help but feel disgusted at Robin’s words, telling him to spend time so he wouldn’t have regrets, while making the decision to let Dena die.

Edward shuddered and turned towards the door.

“…I don’t need the carriage.”

“Edward.”

“…”

“If even one priest enters this mansion,”

“What will you do?”

“I will kill Dena immediately.”

“Ha… May the Goddess-nim forgive your lack of virtue, Father.”

Edward spat out mockingly and stormed out of the room.

Robin stared at the door Edward had left through for a long time before throwing the bottle of liquor against the wall.

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