Chapter 13 Part 4
* * *
Time flew by, and evening had already fallen.
When I arrived at the meeting place with Hyle, I was puzzled by his uncharacteristic choice of location.
It was a villa with a rather dilapidated exterior, and being on the outskirts of the capital, there was hardly anyone around.
I understood the need for privacy, but summoning someone to such a desolate place…
I’d noticed his lack of romantic sensibility in location choices since that time he’d abruptly kidnapped me to House Feros’ basement.
Stepping into the villa without much expectation, I was greeted by darkness, just as I’d anticipated.
I couldn’t see anything in front of me—where on earth was he…!
As I looked around, I suddenly noticed someone’s silhouette leaning against a window bathed in moonlight.
Beside him flickered a small, dim candle.
The scene looked like an old masterpiece painting, stopping me in my tracks.
“You’re early.”
With that languid voice, the painting came to life.
His green gaze, directed at me, seemed to devour the black darkness—perhaps because it was cast in shadow.
“Hyle.”
Though the purpose of today’s meeting was to receive sacred power… I had no intention of accepting any from him.
It hadn’t been long since he’d coughed up blood, and I could still manage without it for now.
As I approached him, Hyle’s expression came clearly into view.
There was something strangely calm about his demeanor that made me suddenly realize:
He already knew about the oracle.
It wasn’t surprising, as I’d expected this.
Being a Feros and directly involved in the oracle, he had probably been informed first.
Hyle silently extended his hand to me.
Though he said nothing, I understood he intended to transfer sacred power through this contact.
After staring at his hand for a moment, I slowly shook my head.
“Hyle, you don’t look like yourself. Why don’t you take care of your health first?”
“I’m fine.”
Hearing my refusal, Hyle shrugged as if it were nothing.
Then he extended his hand to me again.
“I just came to show you Entrie today. His previous owner seems excessively worried.”
Ignoring his hand, I fumbled around and pulled Entrie out from my garments, placed him on my palm, and held him out to Hyle.
Though Hyle looked like he wanted to object to my obvious change of subject… he closed his mouth when he saw Entrie in my hands.
A bewildered light flickered in his green eyes.
“I believe I mentioned this before… about feeding Entrie.”
Give him proper grains like oats or barley. But don’t give him too much. If he gets fat, he won’t be able to fly.
“If he gets fat, he won’t be able to fly.”
Hyle stared intently at Entrie with pitying eyes, as if wondering how this had happened.
His articulate voice was saturated with disbelief.
Ugh, is it really that shocking? I just raised him with love!
“I said that, but I never imagined he would actually… be unable to fly. He’s still a bird, after all. What kind of bird can’t fly just because it gained some weight…?”
“This one, right here.”
Just then, Entrie attempted to flap his wings at the perfect timing.
His little white wings fluttered desperately, but… sadly, his body didn’t leave the ground.
When we first met, those wings that smoothly cut through the night sky had been so beautiful.
As Entrie realized he couldn’t take flight despite his best efforts, transparent tears formed in his pale green eyes.
Peep-peep! Peep!
His mournful cries were utterly heartbreaking.
I gently patted Entrie’s back, trying to comfort him.
“…Rosiel, what are you doing?”
“He’s crying. I’m comforting him.”
Hyle looked back and forth between Entrie and me with exasperation before finally exhaling deeply.
“I get that Entrie is obese. Now give me your hand.”
Sadly, it seemed my attempt to change the subject with Entrie had reached its limit.
Hyle’s ash-green eyes stared at me with frightening determination.
“…I’m not going to receive sacred power from you anymore.”
The words that had been lingering on the tip of my tongue finally burst out.
Hyle’s expression crumpled visibly in response.
“What are you saying… Without regular sacred power, your heart could stop at any moment. You know that better than anyone.”
As Hyle said, I knew this fact all too well.
But I didn’t need sacred power badly enough to drain his life force.
Even if the goddess had chosen Hyle as the Holy Maiden’s helper, I could also receive sacred power from Abel.
It was somewhat extreme, but in a real emergency, I could consume the sacred stones the Cardinal had given me.
“Look, I just need sacred power, regardless of who it comes from. It doesn’t have to be you.”
These somewhat heartless words were directed at Hyle.
Yet he simply listened to my harsh statement in silence.
Though our eyes met, I couldn’t tell what he was thinking at all.
“So… our contract ends today. You’ve more than fulfilled your part. With the amount of sacred power I’ve absorbed, I shouldn’t die under normal circumstances, so your goal of saving me is essentially accomplished.”
In the end, our relationship would conclude this easily.
I had broken off my engagement with Abel as originally planned and received enough sacred power from Hyle to survive what had been a precarious brush with death.
And now, Hyle wasn’t my only lifeline.
Between Abel’s sacred power and the Cardinal’s sacred stones, I shouldn’t face death too easily.
This was enough.
I’d used Hyle for my own desires enough already.
As I was firming my resolve with these thoughts, the corners of Hyle’s lips curved into a smile.
His soft, broken laughter sounded strangely pleasant to my ears.
“Haha…”
His faint smile reflected genuine amusement.
Wait, why? What’s… what’s so funny?
“Rosiel, you’re worried about me.”
“You find this amusing?”
When I questioned him incredulously, Hyle continued to laugh, unbothered.
After hearing my unilateral termination of our contract, all he had to say was “You’re worried about me.” Is that supposed to be a response…?
“Don’t worry, Rosiel. Though not as much as the Crown Prince… my sacred power has increased significantly.”
It happened in truly an instant.
Yes, just the span of time it would take to blink once.
Never in my life had I felt such an enormous gust of sacred power.
An indescribably fresh sensation—blue and white—crashed into my entire body like a clear summer sky.
“…What.”
Feeling that tremendous wave of sacred power left me utterly speechless.
My lips parted in disbelief and refused to close.
This sensation went far beyond mere refreshment.
This was the source of sacred power itself.
As far as I knew, Hyle’s awakening shouldn’t happen until much later… Had he already awakened his latent sacred power?
But there hadn’t been any major event that could trigger such an awakening yet, so how…!?
“Hyle, what is all this…?”
But… does awakening really increase sacred power this dramatically, as if by magic? I don’t remember the original story explaining it that way.
“Right after the oracle descended, Xenoph came to House Feros.”
“Right after… you mean last night?”
Hyle, who had been gently comforting my shocked state, met my eyes and began to explain.
“Judging by his unannounced visit at that hour, he must have been in quite a hurry. After speaking with my father for a long time, Xenoph said one thing before leaving: ‘Congratulations.'”
Congratulations on what? On the goddess selecting Hyle as the Holy Maiden’s helper?
But knowing Hyle’s limited sacred power, that wouldn’t be something to celebrate.
Seeing my furrowed brow, Hyle gently shook his head.
His eyes suggested that whatever I was thinking was incorrect.
“My father decided to transfer the title of head of the house to me.”
“What!?”
“As you know, the head of House Feros inherits some sacred power from the previous generation. Xenoph probably convinced my father by mentioning the oracle. That would be necessary to make you… a complete Holy Maiden.”
I was still reeling from the shock of my engagement dissolution being approved overnight.
And now another bombshell was reverberating through my mind.
“Wait, wait. So you’re saying… you’re now the head of House Feros? How is that even possible… from just one oracle? Did you agree to this?”
Hyle surely knew that Xenoph had done this to manipulate him more easily.
Yet he accepted the position regardless? The traditional, orthodox Hyle who valued legitimacy?
He didn’t seem the type… Had Xenoph threatened him?
