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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: The Aftermath
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However, what I had feared didn’t happen.
“Saintess! Blood, there’s blood…!”
Ah, right. I just coughed up blood. A lot of it, too.
“…”
A quick glance down revealed the situation was more serious than I thought.
It wasn't just covering my entire face; my hands and the white nightgown I was wearing were also stained crimson…
It was practically a crime scene. A situation that deserved an R-rating, for a completely different reason than before.
“Are you all right!”
Fortunately, the good-hearted Captain of the Holy Knights didn't suspect me.
If anyone other than Seth had seen this first, I would have been branded a murderer with no way out.
I was truly relieved.
“I'm fine. I'm not hurt.”
Seth’s face was so pale as he approached that I hurriedly tried to calm him.
“It’s just because I overused my divine power.”
Thankfully, the clash seemed to be over, as I didn't cough up any more blood.
“Overused….”
But Seth’s real fury was only just beginning.
He glared, his eyes glinting menacingly at Jeremy, who was still lying on the floor.
He was as menacing as when he caught the embezzling chef—no, incomparably more so.
“Was it him? Is he the one who attacked you, Saintess?”
His aura was so ferocious that I felt a chill despite the mental strength buff.
The moment he slowly drew his sword, my body began to stiffen.
【The AI system has detected a level of fear in the user exceeding the standard threshold.】
【Increasing the user's mental strength for smooth activity.】
The perfectly timed system message appeared, and I could finally breathe.
Ha, what an excellent mental strength buff update!
“Wait!”
I quickly grabbed Seth's arm.
Seth, who looked ready to cut Jeremy down on the spot, was startled and swiftly switched the sword to his other hand, away from me.
“Saintess, it’s dangerous!”
“It’s fine. It’s not dangerous. Look closely. I’ve already disarmed him.”
Seth flinched, as if only just realizing that the assassin’s clothes were completely stripped off.
I hadn't wanted to see too much, so I didn't rip off the parts covering his vitals, but it was still a rather embarrassing state to be in for an escape.
“I didn’t have any rope, so I tore his clothes and tied him up with them instead.”
“An excellent choice.”
Seth respected my decision. But he didn't back down.
“Still, the threat hasn't been eliminated. We’ll lock him in a cell and interrogate him to find out who sent him.”
He said through gritted teeth as he glared at Jeremy.
“…Though I want to make him pay for the crime of endangering you and making you cough up blood right this instant.”
Swallowing the urge to say he wanted to kill him, he barely managed to get the rest out.
“We must follow procedure. I’ll keep him alive until we uncover who’s behind this.”
What a bloodthirsty way to show concern.
Ahem. Well, it’s not that I dislike him worrying about me.
“And from now on, I will strengthen your guard. Having Captain Victoria as your only close escort seems insufficient, so we will increase the number.”
“…Excuse me?”
Wait a minute. I didn't see this coming?!
“We’ve already finished reorganizing the 2nd Division to handle your security, so it never made sense for Captain Victoria to be the only one on escort duty.”
No, I liked it that way…
As a fake Saintess with a pittance of divine power and a lot to hide, having too many people around is inconvenient.
“No, having Monica and Sir Victoria with me is enough. I don’t want any more than that.”
I refused firmly, thinking he would push right through if I was vague.
But perhaps because of this incident, Seth didn't back down right away.
“But you’re alone at night. That’s why this incident occurred today.”
…He’s got me there.
“Ahem! Let’s talk about that later. For now, dealing with this guy comes first.”
I looked at Jeremy.
His struggles had stopped, as if the pain had finally subsided. Instead, he lay face down, his body twitching intermittently.
“Is he like this because he was attacked by your divine power, Saintess?”
Seth asked as he carefully checked Jeremy's pupils and pulse.
“Something like that. In that regard, I have things to find out from him too, so I’ll participate in the interrogation. So don’t kill him before I get to him.”
“We can do it for you….”
“I’ll do it myself.”
I wouldn't take no for an answer.
“…Understood.”
Thankfully, my firmness worked this time.
With a sigh, Seth nodded and effortlessly lifted the nearly limp Jeremy, slinging him over his shoulder.
Wow… Jeremy might still be young, but as a male lead candidate, he has a considerable build. How can he lift him so easily, like a cat?
And it doesn't even look like he used divine power. I'm jealous of that strength.
“You must have been very startled late at night, so please get some rest. I will inform the High Priest of the situation.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“…This is not something to be thanked for. If anything, I should be apologizing to you, Saintess.”
Seth bit his lip.
Seeing his guilt-ridden expression, it seemed he was blaming himself for the Grand Temple's security being breached again.
But this time, it wasn't his fault.
Jeremy was one who bore a god's curse.
Ironically, it both tormented him and made him stronger than anyone else. He had literally surpassed human limits.
Therefore, unless it was Seth himself, ordinary holy knights couldn't stop Jeremy.
“Still, I’m grateful you came just in time. You truly are the Captain of the Holy Knights. I always have faith in you.”
But since I couldn't tell him this, I comforted him as sincerely as I could.
“Let’s thoroughly investigate tomorrow how this man breached the Grand Temple’s security. So for tomorrow’s sake, get a good rest today.”
I patted his reliable back and gave him a gentle smile.
Seth gave a bitter smile and nodded.
“Have a peaceful night, Saintess. No one else will disturb you tonight, so please rest without worry.”
Seth left with a goodnight and took Jeremy with him.
Only then did I let out a sigh.
“Hah, finally cleaned up.”
What a mess in the middle of the night.
It had already been a long day, and now with the nighttime attack and coughing up blood, a headache was starting to set in.
The moment I was about to climb into bed to get to sleep quickly, I stopped.
“Ah, I can't sleep like this!”
With all this blood on my hands, face, and clothes!
A scream escaped me at the thought of the annoying cleanup.
In the end, it took me several hours to wipe away all the blood from my body and clothes before I could finally lie down in bed.
It had been a truly, truly long day.
* * *
News of the assassin's intrusion spread throughout the Grand Temple in an instant.
With so few people living within the Grand Temple, and it not being a matter to be hushed up, the news spread quickly.
However, most people were more bewildered than afraid.
“…What is there here to break into?”
Why would anyone break into this poor place where everything of value had already been sold off?
But the surprises didn't end there.
“The person who was attacked was the Saintess?!”
That ill-tempered woman? Does he have a death wish?!
Of course, she's changed a bit recently, but her true nature must still be the same, right?!
They wouldn't have been surprised to hear the attacker had been dismantled piece by piece by the Saintess.
Just one thing. There was one thing that was subtly bothering them.
“…Um, the Saintess wasn't hurt, was she? Is she okay?”
People pretended not to, but they stealthily showed their concern for Ordel.
And it wasn't just one or two, but quite a few of them.
It was the beginning of a small change that Ordel herself was unaware of.
* * *
“…I guess I’m really not destined to sleep in.”
8 a.m.
My eyes opened exactly six hours after I had fallen asleep, and I let out a sigh.
After everything that happened last night, I thought I might sleep in today, but no such luck.
“I don't know why this is the one habit that's carried over.”
Feeling no more sleep would come, I sighed and got up.
Still, I didn't feel up to a workout, so I decided to just do some light stretching and call it a day.
However.
“…Captain, what are you doing here?”
After washing up and changing, I left my room, only to stop dead in my tracks, startled.
Standing in front of my door was not Victoria, but Seth.
