OMS Chapter 32

“Can’t help it, I like you.”

When Viirant said that, the look on his face was priceless.

His face, which had been scrunched up in tears, suddenly froze with wide, surprised eyes. He blinked repeatedly, each time shedding tears that spilled down his cheeks.

The tears wetting his long eyelashes sparkled as they reflected the light.

――Even crying, good-looking people always seem like a picture.

He had lost quite a bit of weight since I last saw him, looking rather worn out. Actually, did he suddenly age?

But even so, he still looked cool in this state, and he might even gain popularity with a different crowd. It seems that no matter what happens, the good-looking remain good-looking.

But wow, he really does look worn out.

Maybe I slept for quite a long time again?

… I vaguely remember battling endlessly with arrows, but I’ve lost track of time.

I glanced over at the remainder of Viirant’s divine protection and my eyes widened in shock.

“All that holy power I poured into you is gone?! How many years has it been since then!?”

“It’s been just over a month, Zef.”

“A month?! You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“It’s no joke. I was told to restore the holy power. … So, Zef…”

“Who told you that?! Wait, it’s gotta be Lena, right…? No, wait a sec. If it’s only been a month, that means she’s still twelve! How did things end up like this?!”

As I raised my voice, demanding answers, Viirant shot me a resentful glance.

…Okay, I get it. I might have slept a little too long. But could you please cheer up already?

✢

Since it was impossible to stay calm without understanding the situation, Viirant explained what had happened while I was asleep.

Dirk was helping with my care and assisting the medical team. Viirant was busy with subduing magical beasts and purifying their cores. So far, everything was as expected.

But when I heard that Kahim had gone to pick up Lena—on the very day I collapsed—everything stopped making sense.

How did things end up like this?

Didn’t I write something about watching over her for the next three years?

“They said there was no other way to save you.”

“Uh. … Well, sure, no one understands the Saintess better than a Saintess herself, but…”

“If it wasn’t for her, you would have died.”

“Huh?”

No way… That can’t be—actually, maybe it could.

I was struggling with the curse placed on the arrow, fighting for my life, and I did feel my holy power gradually diminishing.

It was a close battle between my holy power running out and eliminating the arrow.

If things had continued like that… yeah, maybe in a few years, I could’ve lost that fight.

That was a close call.

But Lena is still just twelve years old.

To think they would teach such a young child about the Saintess and ask her how to save me… wait a minute.

Saving me basically means restoring the holy power I gave her through divine protection, right?

Which means…… wow.

Explaining all that to a twelve-year-old… that’s just cruel.

I get that it was an emergency, but still, that’s a horrible thing to do.

“I really need to thank Lena.”

“…”

“I haven’t told Dirk or Kahim what happened yet either.”

“…”

“Huh? Viirant?”

Why is he so quiet?

And why does he look so grim?

Was there something that painful to deal with?

I tilted my head, puzzled, but Viirant just covered his face with one hand.

Whether it was his tearful face or his frowning expression, he looked like a work of art, but I guess he didn’t want me to see him like this.

“…I’ll call them, so please rest for now.”

No, I’m actually feeling pretty fine thanks to all the holy power I received… but this doesn’t feel like the right moment to say that.

Normally, anyone who’s been bedridden for over a month would have died.

And getting shot through the heart would normally kill you too.

Apparently, I was actually on the verge of death.

So, I decided to obediently follow Viirant’s suggestion, resting my head on the pillow as I looked up at him.

For some reason, I didn’t want him to leave, so I playfully ruffled his hair. His expression darkened further, eyes narrowing with a dangerous glint.

…Looks like he’s still in a bad mood.

✢

While waiting for Viirant to return, the three of them came rushing in much quicker than I had expected.

The moment she saw me, Lena threw herself at me, and even the usually quiet Dirk scolded me, saying, “Please take better care of yourself.” Kahim, on the other hand, greeted me with, “Welcome back, I’m so glad you’re safe.”

What’s going on? Especially Kahim—where did his usual quirky way of speaking go?

This feels oddly unsettling.

“Lena, I’m sorry for dragging you into all this.”

“No, it’s fine! Thanks to you, Dad’s all better now! I’m so happy you’re okay too!”

…What’s with this kid? She’s so cute.

I couldn’t resist patting her small head, but then I felt Viirant’s cold stare and quickly withdrew my hand.

Oops. That was close.

I almost treated her like the kids from my village, but we’ve only met twice.

It’s probably scary for a little girl to have some stranger pat her head.

Sorry about that.

After apologizing to Lena, I listened to the reports from Dirk and Kahim.

Kahim gave me an update on Lena and the situation in the royal capital.

Apparently, there was quite an uproar after they received the letter saying I’d been unconscious after getting hit by the arrow. Well, the uproar mainly involved a lot of people sending letters, it seems.

“I couldn’t be bothered with that, so I haven’t told anyone about Lena yet,” Kahim added.

Yup, that sounds like Kahim.

He’s as Kahim as ever, and I like that about him.

Dirk’s report, on the other hand, was about Viirant.

It turns out he single-handedly slaughtered a ridiculous number of magical beasts, and now the people at the fortress were worshiping him as a hero.

Apparently, the fact that I narrowed down the attack route had been somewhat useful.

At first, Viirant went into the forest and cut down the magical beasts, reducing their numbers. Then, they adopted a method where the archers would shoot the beasts that approached the fortress.

Once the magical beasts became scarce in the forest (probably because they were running away from Viirant), Viirant used his holy sword to slash through them at the forest’s edge. The archers would finish off any beasts that survived, efficiently killing the remaining ones.

No wonder he’s being revered as a hero.

As the Saintess who granted him divine protection, I couldn’t be prouder.

“…It’s almost time for dinner. Do you think you can eat something?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. I hope my stomach can handle it.”

“I’ll have something easy to digest prepared.”

Thanks to the abundant holy power, I didn’t feel any physical weakness despite being bedridden without food or water. Unfortunately, my stomach still seemed to be acting its age.

After not eating for so long, I could feel my already small stomach had shrunk even more. I wasn’t even remotely hungry.

Maybe I’ve reached the point where I can live without eating anymore.

As I pondered such nonsense, a steaming bowl of soup, filled with tenderly cooked potatoes, was brought in. With that, we called it a day.

The three of them went to another room for their dinner, and Viirant stayed by my side while I ate my soup. He planned to finish his meal quickly, as he usually did when I lost consciousness.

At this point, I had nothing to say.

――Although, I’m probably in for quite the scolding.

Viirant’s gaze had been burning into me since earlier.

It started right before he called the others over.

It wasn’t an angry glare, but more of a lingering, heavy stare, filled with resentment, directed solely at me.

Feeling a little uncomfortable under the weight of that stare, I quietly sipped my soup.

The warm, gently seasoned broth soaked into my empty stomach.

Though honestly, I was too distracted by the intense gaze to fully appreciate the taste.

After I finally finished the soup and set my spoon down, Viirant straightened up in his seat.

…Looks like the lecture is about to begin.