Erika: My Friend Is Obsessed with Me
Chapter 47
* * *
Marquis Nokbel could not shake off the shock.
Left alone in the empty room, he collapsed onto the sofa.
‘Pechenik….’
Only now did he understand why the Saintess had evaded giving an answer all this time.
The person who needed the Holy Grail of Magreta was none other than Pechenik.
‘What on earth happened…?’
A Swordmaster possessed a body so robust that they never fell ill in their entire life.
For him to be in such agonizing pain, this was no ordinary curse.
The image of him coughing up dark red blood and clutching at his heart was vivid before his eyes.
The sheer agony was plain to see just from the pool of blood he had spewed.
Even now, those choked, gasping breaths seemed to echo in his ears.
Hielia rushing over without missing a beat to pour out her Divine Power, as if this were not the first time.
The servants quietly carrying him away.
Every single one of them wore a sad yet practiced expression that left Marquis Nokbel standing frozen in a daze.
Alone in the vacant room, he merely stared blankly at the blood splattered across the floor.
‘…….’
His heart sank with heavy sorrow.
Even after ten years apart, they were close enough that it felt as if they had just met yesterday.
Even in the past, Marquis Nokbel had been fond of everything about Pechenik.
A man so free and innocent, who always dreamed of living like the wind.
Pitying the fact that he lived all by himself, Nokbel had tried to arrange a remarriage for him multiple times.
Though he had been flatly rejected every single time.
‘Is there anything I can do to help…?’
Bang!
The door flew wide open, and Erica rushed inside.
“Master! Master!”
“…?”
She darted her gaze around the room, confirming that Pechenik was not there.
“Excuse me.”
She bowed her head.
Giving a silent nod toward Marquis Nokbel, she was about to close the door and leave—
“Wait a moment.”
An urgent voice stopped Erica in her tracks.
“Let us speak for a moment.”
“Pardon?”
“…May I ask… what happened to Pechenik?”
“No, you may not.”
Her reply was brazen.
Marquis Nokbel was a man who wielded supreme power.
No matter how haughty or influential the central nobles were, they would invariably take a step back in his presence.
Thus, it had been a very long time since anyone had talked back to him so decisively.
“I only asked because I wondered if there was anything I could do to help.”
“The Saintess will take care of it. You do not need to concern yourself.”
He met Erica’s steady gaze.
Looking at her brought someone to mind.
‘…They are alike.’
Unwavering, strong, and completely devoid of hesitation.
Their features bore no resemblance whatsoever, but that look in her eyes was an exact replica.
That carefree, candid aura. Even the kind warmth lingering around the corners of her eyes.
‘So she truly is his disciple.’
She was not his biological daughter, yet for her gaze to resemble his so closely meant he must have raised her with extraordinary devotion.
“The reason you volunteered for Tenearha…”
Just where had Pechenik found such a disciple?
“…was for your master.”
She was a girl who had declared her enlistment into the knight order without a single shred of hesitation.
All for the sake of receiving the Holy Grail of Magreta, she had thrown away the rest of her life.
“No, it wasn't? Please don't say things like that in front of my master.”
“It wasn't?”
“It's always been my dream to join Tenearha.”
“And since when was that?”
“Since the day before yesterday.”
“…Since the day before yesterday, you say.”
Marquis Nokbel silently held her gaze for a moment.
In his heart, he thought of Pechenik.
Because he had been his most cherished junior back in the knight order, everything about his current situation weighed heavily on his mind.
His physical condition, the severity of which remained unknown.
Just a short while ago, they had been conversing together.
He recalled that talk, which sat somewhere between bragging about a disciple and an overzealous parent-teacher conference.
It was glaringly obvious what Pechenik held most precious in this world.
Because that very treasure was standing right before his eyes.
“May I speak comfortably with you?”
“How comfortably are you planning to speak?”
“I shall address you by name.”
“Feel free. I'm originally a commoner, so all I have is my name.”
“I see.”
“Um, Marquis, if it isn't urgent, could we talk later? I'd like to go check on my master.”
“…Go ahead.”
As Erica took a step forward, he immediately called out to stop her once more.
“Erica.”
She turned around.
Marquis Nokbel realized what he could do for Pechenik right now.
“If you face any difficulties in the Imperial Capital, come find me.”
He resolved to look after Erica in the capital from now on.
From what he heard, she had no parents. And the only master she relied on was gravely ill.
Coming to the capital alone, she would face many hardships adjusting to life in the knight order.
For Pechenik’s sake, there was no reason he could not take his precious disciple under his wing.
“I will help you with whatever it may be.”
The pinnacle of power among the central nobility of Syiad, Marquis Nokbel.
“Do not hesitate.”
It was the moment he volunteered to become Erica’s informal guardian.
* * *
In the dead of night.
Beneath the crescent moon, the night sky was exceptionally dark.
Stealthily.
Erica slipped into Pechenik’s room.
“…….”
She crept quietly toward the bedside.
Pechenik was sound asleep, and the Holy Grail rested by his bedside.
‘…They covered it because the glow is so bright.’
The Holy Grail of Magreta was draped in a white cloth.
Even in the pitch-black room with the lights extinguished, it shone softly, as if it had gathered starlight within itself.
‘He must have barely managed to fall asleep…. I shouldn't wake him.’
It felt like a recurring nightmare.
With a somber expression, Erica gently sank onto the floor.
She leaned her head lightly against the side of the bed and looked up at her master.
Earlier, his face and clothes had been stained with dark red blood, but now he had been wiped clean.
Having been put to sleep by Hielia’s Divine Power, he looked utterly at peace.
There was no telling yet how effective the Holy Grail would be.
Just how much time would have to pass?
“…Master.”
A quiet whisper.
“Please get well soon.”
Her voice was barely a breath, terrified she might wake him.
Tender and cautious.
She had never expected an answer.
“…Alright.”
At the sound of his reply, Erica’s eyes rounded in surprise.
“…?”
Unbeknownst to her, Pechenik had already opened his eyes and was looking down at her.
Those familiar golden eyes.
The irises she often thought looked like moonlight when viewed in the dark.
“…I really am so embarrassed in front of you….”
Pechenik let out a deep sigh and pushed himself upright.
“I suppose I'll have to hurry up and recover somehow.”
Resting his back against the headboard, he looked down at Erica sitting on the floor.
The two of them held each other's gaze for a long time.
A smile broke across Pechenik’s face.
“Do not worry.”
A master bore the duty of reassuring his disciple.
“Even if it takes a bit of time, I will definitely recover.”
“…….”
Erica believed what Pechenik said.
He was a master who had never once broken a promise.
“Yes.”
With that answer, she steeled her resolve.
She took a soft, steadying breath.
Don't worry. Don't even show a hint of it.
Let's not make Master feel burdened any further.
She repeated the words to herself several times over.
Resting her chin on the edge of the bed, she stared intently at Pechenik’s face.
Knowing she had to leave tomorrow, she did not know what to say.
“…Did you have a good talk with Marquis Nokbel?”
Trivial chatter spilled out.
“You didn't fight with him, did you?”
“Fight? Hardly. He has always been rather fond of me since the old days. It made speaking with him quite easy.”
Pechenik let out a gentle laugh.
He shared bits and pieces of the conversation he had had with Marquis Nokbel.
From the sound of it, it was no different from an overbearing parent's admissions consultation.
Except the goal had been enlistment into Tenearha rather than enrollment in the Academy.
The only problem was that Pechenik himself remained completely oblivious to it.
“…And shouldn't you make a trip back to Dangtus?”
“I wanted to, but…”
“I asked for a two-month grace period on your behalf.”
“Pardon?”
Erica slapped a hand over her mouth.
“He said yes? Um… the Commander of Tenearha said it was impossible.”
“Count Herace? Nonsense. His Excellency Nokbel carries far more weight than that fellow.”
“Whoa.”
“Make sure you pick the right side to align yourself with from now on.”
Erica giggled and nodded her head.
A whole two months.
Even excluding travel time, she could stay in Dangtus for at least a fortnight.
It was more than enough time to say her goodbyes to the members of the mercenary corps.
