Chapter 95
“Did anything happen?”
Philome lowered her voice slightly.
“Something did. Suddenly, two monsters woke up and charged at Nadia Alice.”
“Please tell me she wasn’t hurt!”
Philome was startled, imagining the chaos that would ensue in the temple if the saint were injured just as she appeared.
“If that were the case, it wouldn’t be this quiet. There’s that priest, you know.”
“Ah.”
Philome belatedly recalled Johannes, who had been fervent about Nadia.
“So she’s not hurt?”
“Winston got a little injured, but Nadia Alice is fine.”
“Please explain the situation a bit more.”
“There’s nothing to explain; that’s all there is to it. The monsters woke up without any warning and charged at Nadia Alice.”
Kaien hesitated for a moment before adding,
“They didn’t seem to be attacking.”
“The monsters… didn’t attack Nadia?”
“I’m not completely sure, but that’s how it looked to me. The monsters did not attack Nadia Alice.”
At those words, Philome fell deep in thought with a serious expression.
“Is there anything in the ‘Records of the Monsters’ stating that the Saint is not attacked by monsters?”
“No, there isn’t. In fact, the previous Saint was gravely injured by a monster and nearly died.”
If that’s the case, the assumption that the monster wouldn’t attack because she’s a saint is incorrect. It means that Nadia wasn’t attacked not because she’s a saint, but because she is ‘Nadia.’
“What is it about Nadia…?”
Philome muttered to herself, but nothing particular came to mind.
“Maybe they don’t eat humans with low intelligence?”
“The probability of that is certainly…”
Philome, who was unconsciously nodding seriously at Kaien’s words, soon furrowed her brows.
“Don’t joke with me. Monsters don’t have the ability to discern that.”
“I wonder whose fiancée you are to be this smart.”
Kaien briefly kissed Philome on the temple.
Then he whispered softly in her ear.
“So, did you find what you were looking for?”
“…I was just about to tell you that.”
“What is it?”
“Do you know of any beings that make blood their staple?”
“Come on, there’s no such thing.”
At that, Harnen shook his head and interrupted the conversation.
“What do you mean, Philome?”
“You don’t know either, do you? It’s not just me who doesn’t know. There’s no such being.”
Even though she had already asked Harnen once, she couldn’t shake the hope and asked Kaien instead. Philome sighed.
“I did see something in Nadia’s room.”
“What did you see?”
“…It was blood.”
What was inside that box was none other than blood.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
“Oh dear, Your Highness the Third Prince, are you alright? Yes?”
Johannes watched anxiously as Winston received treatment, his feet tapping restlessly.
“Fortunately, the wound isn’t too deep.”
The person treating the wound had some medical knowledge among the paladins.
“We have the necessary supplies, so there won’t be any complications.”
“What necessary supplies are there in this pathetic kit!”
Johannes clicked his tongue, pointing at the first aid kit.
It contained only bandages, ointment, and gauze. As the paladin said, they had everything necessary, and Winston’s injury wasn’t serious enough to require more, but it didn’t satisfy Johannes.
“How dare you treat His Highness like this! I will never forget this.”
Johannes muttered, trembling with anger.
“I’m just a royal knight here. I told you I’m not a prince.”
Winston, who had been keeping his eyes closed during the treatment due to significant bleeding, spoke with a pale face.
“Still! No matter what, that status doesn’t change. You are still a prince!”
Johannes stomped his feet in rage, as if he had been personally insulted.
“This is undoubtedly a disregard for us.”
Johannes had only been in the North for two days, but he already wanted to return to the capital.
The week he spent in the capital with Nadia was the complete opposite of the North. People were ecstatic about the saint, who had appeared after 200 years.
The temple took every opportunity to have Nadia attend various banquets, and Johannes, accompanying her as her advisor, was treated quite well.
Just a few months ago, even though Johannes held a high position, the temple’s status was at rock bottom, and he received no notable treatment.
But now, everyone wanted to meet Nadia through Johannes.
He thought it would be the same in the North.
No, he expected even more extravagant treatment. After all, the Saint was a necessary presence in the North.
But it was quite the opposite.
“The people of the North are truly arrogant and unaware of their place. The Saint is the only one who can eliminate the monsters!”
Upon arriving in the North, however, he found that neither he nor the Saint received a warm welcome.
The servants were businesslike and even wary, with not a single person trying to make a good impression.
For Johannes, who had never seen how the local people dealt with monsters, it was simply bewildering that they did not welcome the Saint.
In his eyes, the local residents and Kaien were foolish individuals who lacked awareness of reality.
“Your Excellency, please stop.”
Winston, having seen Kaien effortlessly deal with a monster, intervened.
“The North is well-prepared to deal with monsters. They likely think it makes little difference whether the Saint is here or not.”
Winston thought that there might indeed be no difference.
“You think that way because you haven’t experienced it firsthand. Your Highness, how about we contact the sorcerer first?”
“Your Excellency.”
“There’s definitely something wrong with the spell. Otherwise, there’s no way monsters would appear this late.”
“Your Excellency!”
Winston gasped and interrupted Johannes mid-sentence.
Fortunately, the paladin who treated Winston’s injury had left, and there was no one around them.
Confirming that there were no signs of anyone nearby, Winston sighed in relief and whispered.
“Please be careful of your surroundings. What if someone had overheard that!”
Realizing his mistake, Johannes cautiously replied.
“I’m sorry. I got too excited… But my opinion stands firm.”
“Considering the timing, it seems that more monsters are appearing than originally planned.”
The two monsters that awakened today were unexpected.
“Surely, you said that two would awaken the day after tomorrow, and then more monsters would follow after that.”
“But it’s too late to show our greatness.”
Johannes wanted to escape this treatment as soon as possible.
He had just received exceptional treatment in the capital alongside the saint. The stark contrast between the North and the capital made his patience wear thin.
Johannes’s eyes gleamed.
“Your Highness, you mentioned you had learned a spell just in case.”
“Why do you ask that…?”
“Why not use it now?”
The sorcerer had informed Winston of a spell that could compensate if the spell covering the snowfield malfunctioned, allowing the monsters to awaken safely.
“But that…”
“Your Highness, can you continue to endure this treatment?”
Winston’s lips trembled.
It was already more difficult than he had anticipated to endure here. Although he had grown accustomed to Kaien’s presence, the changes in Theodor and Natasha, who had always been kind to him, drained his energy.
It felt ridiculous to be thinking this way after only two days, but his heart couldn’t help it.
“If we use that spell, the monsters will come out even faster. You’ve seen the Saint’s abilities, Your Highness. She can handle everything. How will the locals treat us then?”
“Even so, we can’t proceed without contacting the sorcerer.”
“Wouldn’t they actually appreciate it more, that we thought of such a clever idea? Above all, it saves time.”
“…I’ll think about it.”
Winston chose to postpone rather than refuse.
Johannes, momentarily disappointed, looked around.
“By the way… where is the Saint?”
“It was clear she was with us…”
Winston belatedly realized that Nadia had disappeared.
