Seongguk – Love?

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“It’ll be alright….”

Jade paced anxiously in front of the door, worried about Lena.

“You don’t need to worry. When I checked on her earlier, she was improving. I’ve also reported everything about Raspha to the Vatican, so the Holy Kingdom and the Rica Kingdom will be sending investigation teams soon.”

Antonio, who had returned after finishing his report, comforted Jade.

“…I understand.”

At those words, Jade let out a breath and calmed his uneasy heart. He decided to focus on other matters he had put aside, rather than meaningless worrying.

It was time to resolve the questions he had been holding back.

“Sir Antonio, I think you need to explain the situation now. I’m very confused, even by the fact that I’m in the Holy Kingdom.”

“Understood. First of all, the reason the Hero ended up in Growburn Village is because of the Pope.”

“Excuse me? I went to Growburn Village under the orders of the Rica Kingdom…”

“The Pope is the one who made the Rica Kingdom issue those orders. We’ve obtained information that the Holy Kingdom made a deal with the Rica Kingdom.”

“…Why on earth would the Pope do that?”

The fact that the ‘Pope’ was the one who directed him to Growburn Village was unbelievable.

Jade couldn’t hide his astonishment at the unexpected name that came out of Antonio’s mouth.

“I don’t know exactly, but it’s probably a scheme to prevent the Hero from coming directly to the Holy Kingdom. If I hadn’t brought you here with Warp Magic, it would have taken you at least another week to get here from the village.”

Sir Antonio was right. If that had happened, it would have taken quite a long time to reach the Holy Kingdom, just as the Pope intended.

Jade nodded, then suddenly an unbelievable thought occurred to him.

‘Could it be that encountering the Greater demon in the Dungeon was also…?’

“Wait a minute! Are you saying that the Pope intended for us to meet Raspha in Growburn Village?”

Could the Pope have colluded with the Demons to kill the Hero party?

If so, he would have to fight not only the Demons but also the Pope.

Fortunately, Antonio shook his head.

“I did have that thought for a moment… but that’s probably not the case. No matter what, colluding with Demons… that’s something that can never happen in the Holy Kingdom. Knowing what they did during the Great War, colluding with Demons would be foolish. Besides, the Pope lost his family to Demons.”

“…I understand. But if it’s revealed that the Pope is involved in this, I won’t forgive him, even if he is the Pope.”

“You don’t need to worry. I will help you for the sake of justice then.”

Antonio promised to help Jade.

“Then, from the Pope’s perspective, why shouldn’t I have come directly to the Holy Kingdom?”

“It’s because of the Saintess. Rescuing the Saintess from the Pope’s clutches. That’s why I brought you here in such a hurry.”

‘Rescuing the Saintess from the Pope’s clutches.’

Jade couldn’t understand at all.

The expression ‘clutches’ was a bit strange, but it was normal for the Saintess to be under the Pope’s protection.

“I don’t understand why we need to rescue the Saintess who is in the Holy Kingdom. What happened to the Saintess?”

“Could you wait for a moment.”

Antonio looked around, lowered his voice, and began to speak again.

“To explain that, you need to know what happened in the past. What I’m about to say is top secret, and only a few people in the Holy Kingdom know about it. The Saintess is—”

-Creak.

Just as Antonio was about to talk about the Saintess, someone came out of the room.

A woman in a priest’s robe. It was the priest who was in charge of Lena’s treatment.

“Lena’s treatment is finished.”

The female priest delivered the news that Jade had been waiting for.

“Sir Antonio, I’m sorry to interrupt, but… I think I need to check on Lena’s condition now.”

“It’s alright. I’ll tell you slowly later.”

The secret about the Saintess was also important, but what mattered most to him now was Lena’s condition.

Jade excused himself to Antonio and hurriedly entered the room.

Lena was lying on a large bed in the room.

Lena was fast asleep with a peaceful expression, her whole body wrapped in bandages.

“Is Lena alright?”

At Jade’s question, the female priest began to explain step by step.

“First of all, the treatment was completed successfully. The wounds on her body were healed with Divine Power, but the broken bones have not finished healing yet, so I have wrapped them in bandages. I managed to remove most, but not all, of the semen, and I succeeded in removing the Demonic Energy that had penetrated her body.”

“Then why isn’t Lena awake yet?”

“There doesn’t seem to be any physical problem… so the cause is probably a mental one. She has experienced the worst thing a woman can experience, so the mental shock must be very great.”

Lena had been brutally tortured by Raspha and even gang-raped by Monsters.

Even Jade, who was only watching, felt like he was going crazy.

He couldn’t even imagine how much Lena, who had experienced it directly, must have been hurt.

“Lena….”

Jade’s heart sank even when Lena’s face slightly frowned.

He was worried that she might be having a nightmare.

“If only I had come a little sooner, this wouldn’t have happened…. I’m really sorry.”

Antonio, who was standing behind Jade, uttered words filled with regret.

“No. If you hadn’t come, even belatedly, we would have all lost our lives.”

Jade could never blame Sir Antonio.

If Antonio hadn’t made the choice to go and fetch the Hero himself, Jade’s life would have ended in the Dungeon.

“Perhaps…”

“Yes.”

Jade was about to ask the female priest another question, but he stopped himself.

It was a question he was really afraid to ask.

But it was also a question he had to ask.

Eventually, Jade’s mouth opened again.

“Is it impossible to know if she’s pregnant?”

Only priests could check a woman’s pregnancy status with Divine Power.

If Lena was really pregnant, he had to know that fact in advance.

“I can’t tell at this point. At least a week after conception must pass before we can know if she is pregnant. Instead, as a temporary measure, I have cast a Divine law that has a contraceptive effect.”

“Thank you.”

Now Jade would have to spend the next few days anxiously wondering if Lena was carrying an Orc’s child.

‘If Lena is pregnant, what should I do?’

But the decision about pregnancy was something Lena had to choose, not Jade.

Jade decided to believe that, by some miracle, Lena would not be pregnant.

-Thud.

“Haa….”

Jade slumped down in the chair next to the bed.

Lena had survived, so that was one less thing to worry about.

There had been a really big crisis, but by a series of coincidences, everyone had survived safely.

“Ah.”

Only then did Jade notice Annie lying on another bed.

He had been so focused on Lena that he had completely forgotten about Annie.

In the Dungeon, Annie had been hit directly by Raspha’s surprise kick and had been quite badly injured.

“Is Annie alright too?”

“Miss Annie had a few broken ribs, but I have healed them all now. However, because she is physically weak, she will have to be careful about moving around for a few days. And-”

The female priest continued to list several precautions.

As Jade listened to the explanation, he carefully approached Annie and stroked her hair.

“Annie, I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying enough attention to you. You’ve been through a lot too.”

I should buy Annie something delicious later. Jade looked at Annie for a moment and then got up.

Then he bowed to the female priest.

“Thank you so much for treating us.”

“It’s nothing. Sir Antonio asked me to, and it wasn’t difficult for me. Also, it was an honor for me to be able to help the Hero.”

‘Hero….’

Jade had not yet accomplished anything as a Hero.

Even the Dungeon in Growburn Village had been resolved with the help of Sir Antonio.

And yet, just because he was a Hero, he was receiving treatment and expectations from many people.

Once again, the weight of the name Hero felt too heavy for Jade.

Antonio lightly patted the female priest on the back.

“Thank you so much. You can go back to the temple now.”

“Um… there’s something I need to tell Sir Antonio.”

“What is it? Tell me.”

“I don’t think I can help Sir Antonio anymore. I’ve been trying not to get caught until now, but I think I’m being watched. I think the Pope’s side has found out that I’m helping Sir Antonio. I’m sorry.”

“…No. You’ve been a great help to me so far.”

“It has been an honor for me to be able to help the Hero, Sir Antonio, until now.”

The female priest bowed to Antonio and Jade and then left the room.

Having heard that conversation, Jade began to understand the situation roughly.

He had arrived at a small house, not the main temple, through Warp Magic.

The Hero, Sir Antonio, had to secretly bring the female priest.

Antonio had brought the Hero to the Holy Kingdom, directly opposing the Pope’s plan.

This was not something that would happen at the level of a difference of opinion with the Pope.

Then the conclusion was simple.

“Is Sir Antonio at odds with the Vatican?”

“…That’s right. In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that I’ve become an enemy of the Pope.”

“What on earth happened?”

Jade couldn’t believe that Antonio was being treated like this in the Holy Kingdom.

Antonio was famous for being devout and had achieved great accomplishments. Moreover, he was also a senior to the Pope, who had only recently been elected.

If he was treated poorly, it would be difficult for the Pope to gain support in the Holy Kingdom.

How could things have gone so wrong that the Pope and Sir Antonio were at odds with each other?

“Umm….”

At that moment, Annie’s groan reached Jade’s ears.

‘Did Annie wake up?’

Jade hurriedly approached Annie and checked on her.

“Ugh….”

Annie was slowly opening her eyes.

She probably woke up because of their noisy conversation.

“Annie, you’re awake.”

“What, Jade? Ugh, but why does my head hurt? Did I oversleep?”

Annie frowned and shook her head. Then she slowly got up.

“You know, I had a strange nightmare. We went to explore the Dungeon, but suddenly a Greater demon appeared. Of course, we were miserably defeated. And then Lena was being treated badly by the Orcs. It was really scary. Anyway, what I saw was a dream. Whew….”

Annie, who was sighing in relief, felt strange at the unfamiliar appearance of the room.

“But where is this? Was there a place like this in Growburn Village? The old man behind you is also a face I’ve never seen before.”

“This is the Holy Kingdom.”

“Ah, the Holy Kingdom….

Annie nodded, then suddenly her body stiffened.

“Huh?”

“We came straight to the Holy Kingdom using Warp Magic.”

“Are you kidding me? I open my eyes and suddenly I’m in the Holy Kingdom.”

“Calm down for now. I’ll explain it to you slowly.”

Annie must be very confused about the current situation.

Even Jade, who knew all the details of how things were progressing, was finding it difficult to keep up with the rapidly changing situation.

Jade explained to Annie step by step everything that had happened in the Dungeon, meeting Antonio, and coming to the Holy Kingdom.

As she listened, Annie’s face gradually hardened.

“Wait a minute, then everything I saw wasn’t a dream. So the scene of Lena being violated by the Orcs was….”

“…That’s right. Lena is being treated with you and is lying on the bed behind me.”

“I have to check on Lena right away.”

“Wait, if you move yet—”

Annie glared at Jade’s hand, which was trying to stop her.

“Is that important now?”

“….”

-Thump.

Annie pushed Jade away weakly, who was silent, and got up and approached Lena.

“Lena….”

Annie, after checking Lena’s condition, bit her lip and trembled. It was clear to anyone that she was suppressing her anger.

“The treatment went well. So don’t worry too much—”

“How can you say such a thing from your mouth?”

Annie immediately turned around, grabbed Jade by the collar, and began to shake him.

“You said you would protect Lena. What were you doing while Lena was going through that!”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Is it over if you say you’re sorry? What about the wounds Lena received!”

Despite Annie’s angry words, Jade could only apologize.

He had vowed to make sure Lena would never experience such a thing again…

But in less than a few days, he had made her experience an even worse incident than at the Academy.

**

“You said you would protect Lena. What were you doing while Lena was going through that!”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Is it over if you say you’re sorry? What about the wounds Lena received!”

‘Is it about time to wake up?’

Until now, I had been watching to see when I should wake up.

Well, I think it’s okay to wake up now.

Otherwise, it looked like Annie was going to hit Jade.

“Ugh….”

“Lena!”

As soon as I let out a small groan, Annie let go of Jade and immediately ran to me.

“Agh….”

I slowly sat up.

As expected, the aftereffects of the injury remained, and my whole body felt stiff and heavy as if it were soaked in water.

“…Annie, I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Is this the time to worry about me? How does your body feel?”

“My whole body is aching a lot, but I think I can handle it. But where is this?”

When I asked, Jade answered instead of Annie.

“This is the Holy Kingdom. I don’t know if you remember, but Sir Antonio, who is over here, rescued us from Raspha and brought us to the Holy Kingdom.”

“Jade! You were here too. Then we all survived?”

“Y, yes?”

I smiled brightly at Jade and greeted him. They seemed a little relieved to see me looking brighter than they thought.

Maybe they think I’m just pretending to be bright.

“That’s right. You should rest for a few days and recover. Because… a lot has happened.”

“I understand. Come here for a second. I have something to tell you.”

At my call, Jade came close to me.

“What are you tal—”

-Chup.

I kissed Jade suddenly.

Jade seemed surprised for a moment, but he also stuck his tongue in and began to rummage through my mouth with skillful movements.

-Chuuup, churlup.

Jade’s tongue wraps around my tongue and licks the inside of my mouth.

Even though I kissed him first, my breathing quickens at his snakelike movements.

We’ve done this a lot now, so…

-Thwack.

“Ugh?!”

But Jade noticed that I was trying to take my lips off, and he grabbed my head so I couldn’t escape.

‘T, this guy?’

Maybe it’s because it’s our third kiss, but he’s trying to lead me instead.

Is Jade the type to learn things quickly?

I glanced up to check Annie’s reaction, and

“Am I dreaming…?”

Annie was gaping in shock.