MTLNOVEL Chapter 615
The rising and setting is the principle of the world.
Even the moon and the sun, as well as life, were no exceptions. Just as the moon wanes when it is full, the time of the sun begins to gradually decrease as the sweltering summer passes.
Thus, the season is now autumn.
Not long ago, the sunset must have been beautiful, but the sunlight had long since set with the falling leaves. The lights illuminating the dim interior were only from lanterns and the flickering of unattractive magic lamps.
Looking back, it was a shabby life.
I had lived as a lower noble for some time now. Naturally, I had no leisure to indulge in luxury. Although I now had plenty of gold coins, I could hardly muster the courage to decorate my own room, always confined to a sickroom.
Perhaps it would be more accurate to say I lacked the motivation.
Isn’t that how it is?
Even if my living standards suddenly rose, it was awkward to abruptly change the familiar environment. Especially for someone like me, who always seemed to be in the midst of incidents.
If I had that time, I’d rather invest it in training.
It was a reasonable judgment on my part. Until now, I had never questioned that fact, but recently, I found myself regretting it a little.
Who would have thought the Lady Virgin Saint would visit my room?
No man wanted to show his ugly side in front of a beloved woman. I didn’t want to reveal a space that so clearly oozed the reality of my life.
The old cupboard filled with cheap whiskey and the empty bottles strewn about.
It was a trace of the nights spent in anguish. After Celin and Ceria were damaged, it could be said to be a trajectory of my struggles to forget the thoughts that tormented me every night with alcohol.
Compared to the wine Lady Virgin Saint brought, it was indeed a pathetic scene.
However, my wife didn’t seem particularly dissatisfied.
“Looks good.”
Propping her chin, she tossed out that line.
At first glance, it was not a positive signal. The way she pouted her lips and slightly turned her gaze told me she was indeed quite angry.
Yet, the fact that she couldn’t quite hide her worry was endearing.
I silently took a sip of the liquid in my glass. Perhaps they used good quality grapes; indeed, the sweet fragrance unique to grapes was wonderful.
If there was one problem.
A bitter aroma that should have followed wine did not arise.
My brow furrowed involuntarily.
“……Grape juice?”
The Lady Virgin Saint scoffed and poured proper wine into her glass. Unlike the drink in my glass, it was alcohol that emanated a proper scent.
With a teasing tone, the woman spoke to me.
“What kind of drink does a patient need? You should be thinking about your health.”
“No, I’ll be fine as long as I get proper treatment….”
“Is this what fine treatment looks like?”
Struggling to find words, I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut.
My own appearance.
I knew it better than anyone. To others, all they could see would be the pure white bandages wrapping my whole body.
With every movement, my joints and ligaments screamed; even the slightest strain caused blood to seep from wounds.
Despite the royal family’s overwhelming support, even this was my limit.
It could be likened to a broken vase stuck together with band-aids.
The reason was obvious.
It meant my body had reached its limit.
Only two people throughout the continent could fully heal me.
The saint and the Lady Virgin Saint of the Holy Kingdom.
The fact that my wife was one of them was undoubtedly miraculous.
Eventually, an awkward smile formed on my lips.
“You can heal me.”
“Hmph, who says I will?”
While she stuck her tongue out playfully, my heart raced. The revealing negligee and dim lighting, combined with the sweet scent of the wine, stirred my senses. Though she was always enchanting, today my wife was even more captivating.
Should I push forward?
She might just obediently listen to me.
The drunken Lady Virgin Saint became bolder and more playful. Nevertheless, being patient and peace-loving, I decided to attempt a conversation first.
“You came here for that, didn’t you….”
“Who says that?”
What a tease she was.
Though pretending to be uninterested, her eyes frequently roamed over my wounds. There weren’t many reasons for the Lady Virgin Saint, who had been doing well in the Holy Kingdom, to hurry back to the Academy.
Even I, who was rather dull, couldn’t be oblivious to that fact.
However, it seemed the Lady Virgin Saint also had her own excuses.
“I just visited the Academy for work. A significant item is set to arrive shortly.”
I felt as if I’ve heard those words somewhere before.
The “important item” arriving at the Academy.
A thought suddenly arose and naturally flowed from my lips.
“…The Haster Clan’s gold mine?”
“It seems you’re aware.”
The Lady Virgin Saint’s voice sank. With a serious expression, I guessed she would broach a heavy topic.
“Ian, this is a grave matter. Until now, not many knew about it.”
“You too, Lady Virgin Saint?”
“I didn’t know either. Some say the Pope and a few cardinals had received hints. It’s only recently that I understood the details.”
Indeed, that might be true.
If she had known, she would have told me much sooner.
The title of ‘Lady Virgin Saint’ was akin to a figurehead. Although she had risen to a core figure in the Holy Kingdom’s politics utilizing her symbolism, she lacked many aspects to genuinely discuss the pinnacle of power.
Only after becoming a ‘Saint’ did she gain the right to access all secrets.
I silently took a drink, feeling bitter. Sweet liquid brushed against my tongue again.
Why wasn’t it alcohol?
A sigh naturally escaped me.
“Celin has gone missing.”
“I know.”
At my words spat out as if I was chewing them, empathy filled the Lady Virgin Saint’s gaze. The reflection of my face in the wine seemed grotesquely twisted.
It hurt.
“I have a bad feeling about this. We’re conducting such a massive search, yet there hasn’t been a trace… It’s as if the secrets of the Haster Clan are being revealed as if by a concerted effort.”
“It might be coincidence, Ian. The one leading must always consider other possibilities.”
“Is it really a coincidence?”
A soft moan emerged from the cracks of my hushed tone.
Continuing with a troubled expression, I lamented.
“I’ve been too focused on the front. I should have glanced around more; when I noticed, both Ceria and Celin were struggling.”
“Ian.”
“It’s my fault.”
It was an unexpected confession.
Whether I was intoxicated by the atmosphere or merely by encountering someone I had longed for, I murmured like a criminal pleading before a court.
“If only I had done better….”
“You did your best.”
“I wasn’t the best though.”
“No one can be.”
“I have to be.”
The discussion flowed back and forth in an instant.
At the end, the Lady Virgin Saint quietly rose. Her warm hands clasped mine.
Then, her sorrowful gaze fixed on me.
The Lady Virgin Saint was kneeling. She needed to take the lowest place to understand my heart.
My tone grew fatigued.
“I am different from others. I know the future….”
Before long, my hands were trembling subtly. If the Lady Virgin Saint hadn’t stroked my hands, I would have kept trembling.
I had lost Celin.
It weighed upon my heart like an unknown terror. I tried hard to act calm, but how could I?
What would I say to Lady Haster?
To the Ainstan couple, who regarded Celin like their own daughter? To my mother?
And to my precious friend, Reto.
It felt as if iron chains were tightly constricting my heart. It was painful and tormenting; perhaps thinking it was a problem I couldn’t resolve, I purposefully turned my gaze away.
Celin was gone.
It was a situation I had never once considered, and I found myself sinking into a feeling of helplessness like a child.
It was a cowardly and weak heart that I could not express to anyone.
“Ian, you don’t have to do everything alone.”
“But….”
“You’ve already saved many people. Now, look at me.”
Only then did I turn my gaze to the Lady Virgin Saint. There, a breathtakingly beautiful woman sat.
“Who do you see?”
“…My wife.”
A laugh burst forth.
The Lady Virgin Saint seemed pleased with that title, breaking into a gentle smile while fiddling with my hands.
“I was once an orphan without a name. I lived proudly, not even knowing what I was doing, with a label called ‘Lady Virgin Saint’….”
“That wasn’t your fault.”
“Then one day, a wonderful knight saved me.”
Eventually, my words failed me.
I simply gazed silently at her rose-pink pupils. A color that couldn’t hide the affection emanating from them.
“What a foolish person you are. Always spouting nonsensical ideals, bragging about saving the world. You were truly the worst kind of partner, with an incredibly complicated love life.”
“No, that’s….”
I pouted at her unexpected criticism.
Just as I was about to turn sulky, her finger pressed against her lips, signaling me.
Her legs slowly straightened, inching toward a distance where our breaths mixed, and lips met.
Warm, sweet tongues intertwined. We twisted together, exploring each other and indulging in a dense sensuality.
The kiss was sweeter than grape wine.
How long had it been?
Slowly parting, a silver thread hung from her tongue. My breaths, hot and unrestrained, flushed my face.
“But still, I can’t help but love you… the one who made me ‘me,’ who I first felt love for as ‘me.’”
With that, she mounted me in a seductive posture.
I could feel her rising body heat. Our bodies pressing against each other ignited excitement. A humid warmth brushed against our groins.
As she wrapped her arms around me, she whispered in my ear with a sweet voice.
“Is it truly your fault, Ian? Do you regret making me this way?”
No way.
I exhaled a faint breath, silently pulling her delicate waist closer. Thus, we felt each other’s warmth for a while.
The gazes of the man and woman met. There was nothing left to hesitate about since we had already crossed the line.
Just as our lips began to draw closer again, I suddenly had a thought and halted the Lady Virgin Saint.
An awkward smile graced my lips as I faced the puzzled expression of the woman before me.
“So, when do you plan to heal me?”
The Lady Virgin Saint first wore a dazed expression, then looked astonished, before pouting her lips with a teasing face.
The punishment for the oblivious man soon followed.
With a sharp slap, her palm struck my chest.
That was a critical hit.
I grimaced and spat out blood, and the bandages began to soak with blood from the gaping wound. It was the moment when the facade I had been trying to maintain crumbled.
In truth, my body was in dire need of treatment.
Badly.
The Lady Virgin Saint’s eyes widened in shock, not having expected my injuries to be this severe.
“I-Ian? A-are you okay? Kyaaa! W-what should I do?”
She then began to cover her mouth, starting to look distressed.
With tears brimming in my eyes, I whispered.
“Please hurry and treat me….”
Ultimately, that night was spent entirely healing. Given the short time the Lady Virgin Saint could stay at the Academy, it was a severe loss.