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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Healer
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My body felt terribly heavy.
I wanted to open my eyes, but my eyelids wouldn't move.
Sweat trickled down my temples. My skin felt like it was sizzling.
The breath I exhaled was so hot it gave me goosebumps.
I wanted to kick off the blanket, but my damn limbs wouldn't budge.
Even an ordinary person would fall ill if they took Leonhart's killing intent head-on.
So it was only natural for Adrian to be bedridden.
However, I hadn't expected her to be so weak that she couldn't even get out of bed for three whole days.
‘Ugh, just how frail is this body?’
A sigh escaped my parched lips.
‘Haah, this is no time to be sick.’
I had so much to do, yet I'd wasted three days.
I'd probably have to suffer for a few more days.
Adrian was much weaker than I'd thought, which was disconcerting.
Compared to my body as a hero, it was enough to make me wonder if she had some chronic illness.
It wasn't an injury, so I couldn't even call a priest. Having to just suffer through it was maddeningly unfair.
‘Should I get some kind of restorative tonic?’
Do they even have those here? I don't think I saw any in Part 1.
Just as I was letting my mind wander to forget the pain.
I heard the soft murmur of voices from outside the bedroom.
“My lady, you're here again today. You should return to your room now. You need to sleep early to grow tall.”
“B-But I, I want to see the Duchess…...”
A gentle, middle-aged voice and a child's dejected one. It was the butler and Piache.
“The Duchess misses you too, my lady. But as I told you, she is ill and cannot see anyone right now, correct?”
“Nnng…...”
“Come now, just one more night's sleep. You will be able to see the Duchess tomorrow.”
“B-But I, I heard that yesterday… and the day before that.”
“...W-Was that so?”
“Y-Yes, can't I see her just for a little bit?”
“You know you are not to enter the Duchess's bedroom without permission, don't you? You were scolded for that very reason just a few days ago.”
“B-But, but… I, I want to see her, even if I get scolded…...”
“Sigh. Very well, my lady. But you must only look at the Duchess's face and come right back out. You must not make a sound. Can you do that?”
“Mhm! Piache c-can, can do it!”
I heard the door open cautiously. Soon, the soft pitter-patter of cute footsteps grew closer.
The soft, wheezing breaths unique to a child sounded right beside me.
Just imagining her tiny face resting on the bed, looking at me, made my heart melt. She must be ridiculously cute.
I want to open my eyes. I want to see her. I want to cup her worried, sullen face and tell her I'm okay.
Something soft and squishy touched my forehead. It felt like Piache's finger. A tiny voice tickled my ear.
“Hehe, so pretty. Sparkle, sparkle.”
She promised the butler she wouldn't make a sound. What a cute little liar.
“Duchess, Piache will make it all better.”
Will you? Will Piache blow on it so her big sister won't hurt anymore?
“Hooo—hooo—pain, go away. Bye-bye.”
A soft puff of air spread across my cheek. Piache's adorable act tugged at my heartstrings….
‘Huh?’
The pain was gone.
Was I imagining it? No, no. It really doesn't hurt anymore, does it?
The terrible fever gradually subsided.
The throbbing headache and the pain that felt like my skin was being minced slowly faded, then disappeared completely.
‘H-How could this… Don't tell me?’
Piache was the protagonist?!
I was frozen for a moment by the unbelievable situation.
Unable to resist the overwhelming drowsiness, I fell asleep.
***
Blink, blink.
I blinked my stiff eyes a couple of times.
My blurry vision gradually sharpened as my eyes focused.
Just yesterday, I felt like I was dying….
But my body felt unbelievably light.
“Hooo—hooo—pain, go away. Bye-bye.”
I recalled last night, lost in thought.
Thinking back, it had been the same on the first day I was possessed.
Piache had taken my finger and blown on it.
Whispering for the pain to go away.
Instantly, the sluggish, foreign-feeling body, like wearing someone else's clothes, had felt refreshed.
At the time, I just thought it was a side effect of the possession….
“Piache was the one who healed me.”
The doll-like, adorable Piache was actually a saintess.
In other words, the genre of Part 2 wasn't an adventure fantasy, but a childcare story.
‘A childcare story, from that hack author! Does he think just making the protagonist a baby guarantees a hit?!’
He must have tried his hand at a childcare story because he knows what's trendy. Seriously, how absurd.
Fine, whatever.
‘But what did I do to deserve this?’
Just how many years does he plan on trapping me here? Fifteen? Twenty?
‘Am I crazy? I'm not doing it! I can't!’
Just then, as if reading my mind, a cheerful bell chimed and a message appeared.
[Ding-]
[A ★H★E★A★V★E★N★L★Y★ S★E★C★R★E★T★ for you, who has finally figured out the genre of Part 2!
Childcare stories come with an ‘Oh! I woke up and 00 years have passed!’ feature!
Don't forget that the duration can be shortened depending on your efforts!]
‘Ah…’
Come to think of it, the childcare stories I'd read were like that.
‘So it won't take a dozen or so years, then?’
But not all my problems were solved.
The protagonist was too young, yet her power was too great.
Holy power isn't omnipotent. It can only heal external wounds, not illnesses.
If holy power could cure everything, no one in this world would die from disease.
‘But Piache healed me.’
If this was the power of a saintess, it was a little concerning.
Because if this fact became known, countless people would try to use the child.
Could it be that the title, , means saving the world from disease, not from villains?
‘Still, since it's a childcare story, the protagonist probably won't die.’
The story likely won't be too heavy, either.
I had a rough idea of my role, too.
A cold and arrogant noblewoman who, through a child named Piache, learns about love and affection, gradually becoming more human—a tsundere guardian.
‘So I'm playing the role of the cold-hearted grandfather or the indifferent father from other childcare stories.’
That was as far as my guesses went. I'd have to figure out the rest myself.
I stared into the air for a moment before pulling the bell cord.
A moment later, I heard urgent footsteps outside, and the door burst open to reveal the butler.
“My lady… you're awake.”
The butler's demeanor was calm, but he couldn't completely hide his surprise.
It was only natural for him to be startled, seeing someone who couldn't even open her eyes yesterday now sitting up perfectly fine.
He placed a hand on my forehead to check for a fever.
“Pardon the intrusion, I will just check your temperature… Hmm, the fever really has broken. Are you in pain anywhere else?”
“I'm fine. I don't hurt anywhere.”
“You do appear to be fully recovered. I was told it would take at least another week for you to recuperate. It seems it was a misdiagnosis. My apologies, I will dismiss Dr. Albert shortly.”
That won't be necessary….
Dr. Albert was not at fault, but I feigned ignorance. Piache's power needed to be kept secret until I had a better grasp of the story.
“Be that as it may, my lady.”
The butler continued in a refined tone, a vein throbbing on his forehead.
“How can a noble be attacked in broad daylight, in the heart of the Imperial Palace, no less? How lax must the palace security be.”
“…”
“I should not have reduced your retinue. Who could it be? I am truly curious to see the face of the scoundrel who dared to attack a duchess of the empire, the one who deserves to be torn to shreds.”
Leonhart Genetic Philio. Aka the Third Light of Philio.
The butler was seething with a very calm and quiet rage.
I hadn't expected him to react this way. He must be truly loyal to Adrian.
‘Is this old man the type to ignore good and evil once he's sworn his loyalty?’
“My lady, did you see the culprit? Was it a noble, or a servant? What did they look like? Ah, this is no time for questions. I must summon an artist at once. We will start with a composite sketch.”
“W-Well, I'm not sure.”
“You don't remember? Not at all?”
“No.”
“Please, try to think hard. Even the smallest clue would be helpful.”
“I don't know.”
“...In that case, catching the culprit will be difficult.”
“I suppose so.”
The butler's stiff shoulders slumped ever so slightly. He seemed incredibly disappointed….
“Explain the situation to me. I might remember something as I listen.”
“Of course. You are right, my lady.”
The butler immediately summoned someone. It was the maid who had accompanied me to the Imperial Palace.
“Luna, explain what happened to her ladyship. Be as detailed as possible.”
“Yes, Butler.”
Luna bowed her head and answered obediently.
“The meeting had ended, but her ladyship did not come out. I went inside the grand hall to escort you, but you were not there. The other nobles said they did not know where you were. I checked the rear garden just in case, and I found you unconscious on the ground. I was so startled that I screamed, and the servants came running. With their help, we brought you back to the estate.”
“Was I alone in the rear garden?”
“Yes, you were alone when I found you.”
It seems Leonhart just dumped my unconscious body on the ground and left.
I wasn't disappointed or upset.
After all, Adrian had sent assassins after Leonhart. It was a relief that he had left me unconscious but otherwise unharmed.
“My lady, how is it? Do you remember anything now?”
“No.”
“...Skin color, hair color, even a scent would be helpful. Do you remember nothing at all?”
“I think I lost my memory when I fell.”
“…”
“Just drop it. It's not like I was seriously hurt.”
I said in an indifferent tone as I got out of bed. Why is it so quiet?
I glanced over to see the butler and Luna staring at me with horrified expressions.
“What?”
“But you will still request an investigation from the Imperial Palace, won't you?”
“I'd need a memory to request an investigation.”
“You won't even send a letter of protest to the Imperial Palace?”
“It's a hassle.”
“And meeting with the other nobles…?”
“Why would I?”
“But…”
The butler hesitated for a moment, then approached and whispered secretly, his hand covering his mouth.
“So you are saying you truly intend to let this go quietly, without using this incident as leverage to demand concessions from the Imperial Palace, or framing someone you dislike as the culprit, or inciting the other nobles?”
Ah, Adrian… What kind of person were you, really?
