No matter how well you understand something in your head, it doesn’t mean you can always execute it perfectly.
I had overestimated myself during my first ritual and ended up using too much blood and sacred power. As a result, I was bedridden for five whole days.
Just five days. But five days is still five days.
While I was passed out, the state funeral for the late Saint was completed, and Emilia’s mother had moved into the inner sanctum.
I had anticipated this happening, but it still felt pathetic.
I really owed Emilia for handling everything I had thrown her way.
—But seriously, when will I be allowed to get out of this bed…?
My wounds had mostly healed by now, thanks to my body’s fast healing abilities. The bleeding had stopped, and the deep cut had closed up. I’d say I was pretty much fully recovered.
Yet here I was, three days after waking up, still stuck in bed.
“…Hey,”
“No,” came Veerant’s curt response before I could even finish my sentence.
The moment I arrived at the temple and collapsed, I had been unconscious for thirteen days. Then, when I finally woke up, I moved around too much and ended up passing out again, which left me bedridden for another five days.
Apparently, that had made Veerant very anxious.
The other two knights, who were staunch believers in the Saint’s holiness, couldn’t stop me, so Veerant had taken it upon himself to become my personal guard—or watchdog, depending on how you look at it.
—Not that I didn’t appreciate the concern…
But even so, this was a bit much.
Sure, previous Saints were frail and delicate, but I’m a man over forty! I won’t die just from losing a little blood or passing out.
Veerant kept saying that moving around might reopen my wound, but to be honest, that would just save me the trouble of cutting my wrist again.
“If I don’t start purifying the filth soon, it’ll spread even more.”
“Then, will you promise not to offer your blood?”
“That’s impossible.”
Without offering blood, I couldn’t make any real progress, no matter how hard I tried.
I didn’t want to experience the sensation of having blood and sacred power forcibly drained from me over and over, but it was necessary. If losing a few days to recover meant I could save thousands, maybe even millions of lives, it was a small price to pay.
It’s not like I’m offering up my hair, after all.
I glanced at Veerant, who was still frowning deeply.
He was clearly struggling to accept it.
Even though he knew what I was saying made sense, he couldn’t reconcile it emotionally. His face showed it all: his furrowed brows, his tightly pressed lips, and his frustration.
For such a ridiculously good-looking guy, he looked like a sulking child.
To make someone as composed and handsome as Veerant pull a face like this really drove home how deep the faith in Saints ran in this country.
I mean, I’m just a middle-aged man, no matter how you look at me.
“…I can’t avoid offering blood, but I’ll try to take it easier.”
I’ll try to adjust the purification range and the amount of sacred power I put into it so that I don’t collapse again… hopefully.
Making Veerant carry me around all the time would be a shame, and I’d like to at least have enough energy left to walk back to my room.
When I said that, unsure if I could really manage it, Veerant finally softened his expression a bit.
✢
I carefully recalled the sensations from the first ritual as I slowly recited the sacred verses.
The last time, I focused on the areas with the most damage, clearing the filth in a way that reinforced the surrounding areas. To completely purify it, I’d have to go there myself, but for now, I could see that the darkness had thinned a little.
This should help reduce the damage for a while.
Focusing on the floating lights and shadows, I picked them up one by one and tossed them into the water basin.
Unlike last time, when I concentrated on a small area, I now aimed to lightly purify a broader range.
Before I leave, I need to cleanse as much of the kingdom as possible to ensure there are no lingering worries.
Once I had finished gathering the lights and shadows into the basin, I continued the ritual, sweating as I worked.
I added the morning dew and sacred sake to the basin, stirred it with the sacred branch, and then removed the bandages from my wrist.
Though the wound had mostly healed, moving around seemed to have made it bleed again.
Convenient, I thought, and as I held my hand over the basin and chanted, I felt the wound split open with a snap.
—Now I just had to endure it.
As my blood and sacred power flowed out, I clenched my teeth and bore the pain.
Still, I couldn’t stop the groans from escaping as sweat dripped down my jaw.
It was the same unbearable sensation as before, and I fought to keep myself conscious as the ritual came to an end.
This time, I managed not to pass out.
But my magic power, which had been in the five digits, was completely drained. Of course, it was, since I had converted it all into sacred power and poured it into the ritual.
I felt dizzy from the blood loss, and my head ached from magic depletion. I could barely stand, leaning against the table for support.
Even though I hadn’t passed out, my condition wasn’t much better than before.
I didn’t think I’d be able to walk.
“…Saint-sama,”
“I’m fine. Sorry, can you just lend me a shoulder after I rest a bit?”
I couldn’t move right now, but after resting for a while, the dizziness would probably subside. I felt bad for Veerant, but it was better than making him carry me.
That was my reasoning when I made the suggestion, but the response I got was harsh.
“No.”
His cold voice surprised me, but when I opened my eyes, my vision was still too blurry to make out his expression.
Maybe he didn’t want to carry me unless I was unconscious. I mean, I could understand that no one would want to be up close and personal with an old guy like me.
If I were a cute girl, sure, but I got it.
I sighed in resignation. If Veerant refused, I’d just stay here and rest until I could walk on my own.
Just as I steeled myself to do that, a shadow fell over my blurry vision.
It was darker than what you’d expect from a passing cloud, and I wondered what it was. When I opened my eyes wider, the sight before me swam in and out of focus, but one thing was clear.
Golden hair, shining like ripened wheat in the sun—Veerant’s hair.
…But why is it so close?
“I’ll accept any punishment later.”
“Huh? Wa—wait…!”
Before I could finish my protest, I felt a hand on my shoulder and another behind my knees, and suddenly, I was lifted into the air.
It was my first time feeling this strange weightlessness and the warmth of another person pressed against my left side. The blurry vision before me was still filled with that same golden color.
—Th-this is…
Could it be? No, it definitely is. This is what they call a princess carry, isn’t it?
I remember seeing grooms lift their brides like this during weddings back in the village. It’s a bit embarrassing for men, but for women, it’s supposedly a joyful experience.
I’ve congratulated plenty of couples who looked bashfully happy like that… but I never thought I’d experience it myself at this age.
And certainly not as the one being carried!
Too shocked to speak, Veerant carried me straight to my room without delay.
I could hear Dirk and Kahim rushing over when they heard the footsteps, but there was no way I could open my eyes and face them in this state.
I wasn’t brazen enough to hold a normal conversation after being carried like this.
While I pretended to be unconscious, Veerant instructed the others to clean up the White Room and arrange for a doctor, then carefully laid me down in bed.
He removed my shoes, loosened my collar, and even took off my belt before pulling the blanket over me.
He wiped my face and hands with a damp cloth, lightly cleaned the area around my wound, and held my arm up to stop the bleeding while waiting for the doctor.
Looking at him, you’d never imagine someone with such a sparkling, handsome appearance would be this diligent.
I was being taken care of like a patient, and all I could do was continue pretending to be unconscious.
But there was one thing that really bothered me.
…Is it just me, or is he a little too good at this?
