Episode 91 – Tess

*

After months of relentless misfortune, a warm and peaceful atmosphere was finally returning to Robin’s mansion.

The strained relationship between Robin, who had lost his usual kindness due to stress, and Mella, who was disappointed in her husband, had eased considerably. Moreover, they had managed to find a doctor to help Tess, who had suddenly fallen critically ill, thanks to Baron Salvier.

The Baron had previously claimed not to know the doctor’s whereabouts, but today, on the third day since Edward’s request, he delivered a letter stating that he had successfully located the doctor.

Edward, his hands trembling, carefully folded the letter, which concluded with the promise to send the doctor immediately given Tess’s critical condition. He clutched the letter to his chest and dashed to Tess’s room.

Without knocking, he burst into Tess’s room.

“Tess! You’re going to be okay!”

“Shh, Edward. Be quiet.”

Mella, who was sitting beside Tess, holding her hand as she lay motionless, cautioned Edward.

“Mother, it’s all right now. Someone with divine healing power is on their way. They should arrive by tonight at the earliest, or tomorrow morning at the latest!”

“Oh, my goodness, is that true?”

“Yes! It’s the same person who saved Dena last time!”

“What? That person…”

Mella raised her eyebrows and spoke at Edward’s words.

When her son Edward returned to the mansion as an Inquisitor a few days ago, Mella naturally assumed he would summon someone with the divine healing power of the Goddess Church.

However, the person Edward had actually called was the mysterious individual who had healed Dena last time.

Mella calmed the excited Edward and said.

“Edward, that’s wonderful news. But, why that suspicious doctor? Did the healing priest of the Goddess Church perhaps refuse to help?”

“Ah, no. It’s just that,”

Edward trailed off, lost in thought.

The fact that there wasn’t a single priest with divine healing power left within the Goddess Church was a top secret that even the Pope had ordered to be kept silent.

Of course, he had told Baron Salvier the truth in order to beg for help, but that was solely to save Tess.

Edward was willing to disregard the Goddess Church’s teachings for Tess, but that didn’t mean he had forgotten his faith.

Even for family, revealing the truth that the Pope had ordered to be kept silent just to satisfy curiosity didn’t seem right.

Edward nodded and said.

“The healing priest is at the front lines, and it seems the situation there is too urgent for them to come.”

“Is that so? I see… Well, Robin can’t work right now because of Jennifer’s misdeeds, but he said he was extremely busy before that, so I suppose that makes sense…”

“Is something bothering you?”

Mella paused, lost in thought.

The doctor who had undone Dena’s zombification.

Unlike other special divine powers, preventing zombification was something any cleric who had trained for a long time could do, so Edward might not have noticed, but Mella was certain.

The divine power that doctor used was definitely that of a Saintess.

Since Mella herself was the Saintess of this generation, there was virtually no chance she was mistaken.

However, her divine power had disappeared the moment she stepped down from the position of Saintess, and the Saintesses of previous generations were from at least 140 years ago.

Moreover, although she couldn’t be certain since they were completely covered, judging by their raspy voice, it didn’t seem like they were even a woman in the first place.

Where on earth did that doctor get their divine power?

Mella was deeply suspicious of their identity.

“Of course, there’s no doubt that they healed Dena, and I’m very grateful for that, but…”

“…”

“Are you sure they’re someone we can trust?”

Edward nodded and said.

“I’m sure they’re a suspicious person. But I trust them. Even if I can’t trust them, at least I trust Baron Salvier-nim.”

“…Baron Salvier… He’s truly a grateful person.”

Mella felt deep gratitude towards Baron Salvier.

Even after being caught up in the misfortunes of this house, which seemed to be cursed, he never abandoned them.

Of course, that was also thanks to her son, who, unlike her, who was too embarrassed to ask for help, had run to the Baron and begged for assistance.

Her son praised the Baron endlessly.

“There’s no need to say it twice. Although he’s called a Baron, he must have been someone of high status from across the sea. Just considering his abilities and dignity.”

Mella looked at her daughter Tess, who was lying down.

Only a faint warmth clung to her slender fingers, as if barely hanging on.

Mella brushed Tess’s hair back and said.

“Yes, this isn’t the time for us to be picky about help.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“This year has been one where bad things have come crashing down on us… But, if Tess gets better, everything will be alright from now on. Robin has come to his senses, and you’ve grown up so wonderfully.”

“…Mother.”

Edward picked up a chair and sat down next to Mella.

Then, looking at Mella, who was gazing down at Tess with a hopeful expression, he cautiously opened his mouth.

“Mother… Do you really trust Count Voldiras?”

“…Don’t call him that, he’s your father.”

Mella scolded Edward for calling Robin so distantly.

However, Edward paid no heed and said.

“I still can’t forget that he tried to kill Dena.”

“…This year has been difficult for all of us, but it must have been even harder for Robin. He lost two children, and Jennifer committed terrible acts and then died… Even for a hero, that must have been too much pain for one person to bear. Besides…”

“…Dena isn’t his daughter, is she.”

“Of course, abandoning a child you’ve grown attached to isn’t the right thing to do as a person, but please consider the sense of loss he must have felt. For the past 17 years, no, for 20 years, including the time they went on adventures together, he was a trustworthy person.”

“…I used to respect Father too. But the shock from that time is still too great. I can’t forget the vicious look in his eyes when he said he would kill Dena with his own hands.”

“Edward…”

“I’ve heard the confessions of many sinners while living as a novice priest, but no sinner had such evil eyes.”

“…”

“What about you, Mother? I ask someone who was once the Saintess of the Goddess Church, even if you’ve stepped down now. How can you overlook that evil deed?”

Mella closed her eyes at Edward’s question and gently dropped Tess’s hand that she was holding.

Edward waited silently for Mella to open her mouth.

After several minutes, Mella slowly began to speak.

“Once. I was completely broken, Edward.”

“…Yes.”

Edward replied briefly.

He also knew when Mella was referring to when she said ‘once’.

The story of how, after losing her lover, the hero of sacrifice, Edward, Mella had completely lost the will to live, and her comrades had stayed by her side for years, preventing her from taking her own life every day.

That story was as famous as the Hero Party’s adventures as a touching tale within the Empire.

Mella slowly opened her eyes and said.

“I too am a sinner who attempted the sin of suicide countless times. A few times, I almost succeeded. So much so that Lara later said it was more difficult than her journey to defeat the Demon King.”

“…”

“The reason why I’m still alive like this, watching you two grow up, is because there were people who didn’t give up on me and gave me a chance until the end.”

“Mother…”

“And one of them was Robin. Of course, I’ve been greatly disappointed in his recent behavior. But just as Robin did, I’m not going to give up on Robin.”

“…Was I only seeing the bad side?”

Mella shook her head.

“You were only seeing what was right. But for a cleric who has sworn to live for good, that upright attitude can be helpful.”

“I see…”

“Of course, those clerics aren’t popular with the citizens.”

Mella said with a faint smile.

At that moment.

Someone knocked on Tess’s door.

“Madam, Master, the doctor has arrived.”

*

Wearing a bird beak-shaped doctor’s mask, I entered the mansion under the butler’s guidance.

Unlike before, when I sneaked in with Mella’s son in the early hours of the morning, this time I entered through the main gate proudly before sunset.

As soon as I entered the lobby on the first floor of the mansion, I saw Edward hurrying down the stairs.

He shouted as he ran down the stairs.

“I didn’t expect you to come so quickly!”

“I heard it was an urgent patient.”

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

“Where is she.”

“Are you alright to go right now? I heard you traveled a long way…”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Even as I was being guided by Edward, I was quickly looking around the interior of the mansion.

‘Do you feel anything?’

[No, if I had my horns, there’s no way I wouldn’t feel this much magical energy,]

[…Could Rose be not here?]

‘Damn it, did I come all this way for nothing.’

Even as I looked around for any clues, there was nothing particularly noticeable.

It was unnatural for the doctor, who they said they didn’t know where they were, to suddenly appear, so I, who had spent three days until today, became impatient.

However, unaware of my feelings, Edward hurried his pace while explaining about his younger sister’s illness.

After talking for a while, he stopped in front of the first door in the hallway in front of the stairs.

“It’s here.”

“…Alright.”

Edward carefully opened the door.

Inside the room, there was a clean floor and desk, as if it was cleaned every day, and a bed placed where the sunlight poured in.

On the bed, a very thin girl was lying down with her eyes closed, breathing shallowly.

I took a step into the room and said.

“It’s the same as last time. Don’t open the door until the treatment is finished.”

“…That’s,”

“If you don’t like it, I’ll leave.”

“Ah, no, it’s not that.”

Edward immediately closed the door, leaving me behind.

I first looked at the weather outside the window.

Too bright.

To be honest, I was almost certain that Rose would be here, so I became impatient and moved quickly.

However, contrary to expectations, I couldn’t feel any traces of Rose or the magical energy emitted by the Demon King’s horns anywhere.

It was still too bright to escape through the window and search every corner of this house like last time.

Of course, if I couldn’t feel anything to this extent, it was virtually certain that Rose wasn’t in this mansion.

‘What do you think.’

[It’s certain. Ed, Rose isn’t here.]

‘…Shit,’

[Then, without wasting time, heal that child and leave.]

‘Alright. I got it.’

I approached Tess, who was lying down.

According to Edward’s explanation, she had been like this since she was hit by a carriage when she was three years old, but Tess’s current condition seemed to have nothing to do with a carriage accident.

Her emaciated skin looked pale to the point of being blue, and her hair was so thin that it almost looked white.

Her symptoms, which seemed to be slowly turning into a plaster statue, certainly looked more like a curse than an illness.

[Poor child… What kind of illness is this?]

‘Can it be healed with divine power?’

[Rather, it’s an illness that can’t be cured without divine power.]

‘Do you know what kind of illness it is?’

[Yes, I’ve seen it before. This is magical energy poisoning.]

Ulgaros explained.

Usually, when a huge amount of magical energy enters the body of ordinary people, they become undead or die, but there are occasionally people who survive with a low probability.

However, surviving doesn’t mean their condition improves. The magical energy that has already spread throughout the entire cell cannot be removed with ordinary blessings and slowly eats away at the body, ruining it.

I chuckled as I listened to Ulgaros’s explanation.

‘Should I say she’s lucky or unlucky.’

[That depends on you, only the Saintess’s divine power can cure this.]

[Ed, you’re going to help, right?]

‘…’

[…Ed?]

[Is there really a need to help? No matter how pitiful she looks, she’s still the bloodline of that hero.]

[W-what are you saying!]

‘I agree too. Is there really a reason why I should help? The reason I saved Mella’s son or that kid Dena was all to use them. The reason I keep Lily by my side is because she helped me, but is there really a need to save her.’

[Ed, what are you saying. This child will die if Ed doesn’t help her…]

‘I killed Daniel and Rose with my own hands, so what.’

[…No, Ed. Remember what Lily said.]

‘No, because I became soft-hearted, Banata disappeared again and Mena almost lost her voice like aphasia. If I care about everyone, I can’t protect my own people in the end.’

My mind became silent.

The divine power and the Demon King were both silent, waiting for my choice.

The girl in front of me looked so pitiful that I understood why Edward was begging so desperately.

I didn’t know if her hair was Robin’s blonde or Mella’s orange, but her hair had been bleached to the point where I couldn’t tell, and the faint sound of her breathing, which I could mistake for a corpse, was enough to guess the pain she had suffered in this small body.

However, no matter what color her hair was, it didn’t change the fact that she was Robin’s bloodline.

She was also a child born from Mella’s womb.

An child I got by betraying and killing me,

Deceiving and tricking Mella.

Even after I kill Robin, if I see this child and Edward alive and well,

And if I see his sons and daughters giving birth to sons and daughters again, and Robin’s bloodline prospering,

Will I be able to close my eyes peacefully.

Where is the completion of my revenge.

I took off my gloves and raised my left hand, placing it on Tess’s forehead.

“…Fuck, I don’t know.”

My left hand gradually turned golden.

[Ed, thank you…really.]

[Won’t you regret it.]

‘I don’t know,’

[Why did you decide to save this child.]

‘I don’t know, you fuck, it’s just my heart.’

[Your heart?]

‘If I let her die now, it’s not revenge. It’s not to torment Robin, it’s just a tantrum.’

[Huh, you’re a funny bastard, so Daniel and Rose weren’t killed as a tantrum?]

‘That’s why I’m paying the price. So shut up.’

[Yes! Shut up!]

[I’m not saying anything either, I respect your choice Ed. But I think I’ll be teasing you for a long time.]

Ignoring Ulgaros’s sarcasm, I poured divine power into Tess’s body.

What a funny bastard.

That’s exactly right.

It was easy to kill someone who was perfectly fine, but why couldn’t I just leave a girl lying still to die.

I know very well that the excuse I made to Ulgaros doesn’t make sense.

But I just couldn’t leave her.

Because of Lily’s words not to get used to cruelty?,

Because of Lara’s assessment that I can’t pass by someone in trouble?.

I just, don’t know.

It could be neither,

It could be both.

“I don’t know, maybe I’m a hypocrite or I have a thing for sickly girls, what the fuck.”

[Crazy bastard]

I spat out a curse and took my hand off Tess’s forehead.

Her bleached hair and emaciated pale skin didn’t magically return, but Tess began to breathe more comfortably and evenly.

.