Chapter 2 Part 6

At my calm words, Hyle stared at me with a dumbfounded look, as if he couldn’t believe it.
Indeed, the idea that a Laté, who inherited demon blood, would have a heart containing holy power was absurd, even as a joke.
“It’s true. If you don’t believe me, you can see for yourself.”
When I shrugged and sat beside him, Hyle began looking at my heart area with suspicious eyes.
“…What is this.”
After a moment, a considerably startled response burst out.
“It really is true. But how…”
Hyle seemed to have trouble believing what he was seeing, busy checking again while repeatedly furrowing his brows.
“As you can see, the holy power has deeply permeated my heart. Though the amount is small, it definitely exists.”
“What do you want from me?”
“It’s simple. Your job is to remove this holy power.”
Though I was maintaining a neutral expression and speaking dryly, pretending to be unbothered… honestly, my heart was trembling so much I felt like I could die at any moment.
Hyle was my only and last lifeline I could grasp.
Why else would I go so far as to forge images to threaten him!
Hyle, who had seemed lost in thought for a moment, raised his head to face me.
“Even if I remove the holy power… you’ll die.”
His answer was truly shocking.
What does he mean I’ll die even if the holy power is removed?
Originally, my death was due to the holy power in my heart becoming corrupted. So I thought I could live if I removed the holy power before it could corrupt.
“…Are you sure?”
“Yes. The holy power is already part of your heart. Remove it and you die.”
I wasn’t 100% certain that removing the holy power would let me live either.
I just knew I would die if it wasn’t removed, so I thought the opposite approach must have the highest probability of survival.
But to think even this wasn’t my path to survival…
Does it mean a character destined to die must meet death no matter what?
If that’s really true… isn’t that too cruel?
“How kind. If you hadn’t told me that, I would have died the moment you removed the holy power.”
“I have no hobby of killing healthy people.”
Hyle’s expression was dry as he avoided my gaze with his stiff tone.
To call me, who threatened him using his knights’ lives as leverage, a ‘healthy person.’
Is he naive, or just stupid…
Moreover, House Laté was widely known as a demon clan that wouldn’t die even if stabbed with a sword.
…Well, we actually don’t die easily when stabbed. Though we could be fatally wounded, we definitely had terrifying recovery abilities compared to normal people.
So even if I hadn’t threatened him using the knights, no one would easily call me a ‘healthy person.’
Finding it amusing that Hyle treated me like a normal human despite my kidnapping and threats, I unconsciously let out a faint sneer.
“Is that another one of Feros’s boring doctrines?”
“Threats won’t work this time. I won’t kill you.”
“You seem to have misunderstood something – I never asked you to kill me. I was begging you to save me. …Though I regret it if it didn’t seem like begging.”
Though there was no positive news, this situation with our mutual strange misunderstandings was more enjoyable than expected.
This suffocating space, and how his fierce green gaze that had been growling with sharp wariness had changed to sympathy directed at me.
All of it.
Just as I was about to ask more about my heart, I suddenly felt an unpleasant tingling in my chest.
It seemed the backlash from using so much magic power controlling Raphla and moving back and forth over long distances was finally hitting me.
I need to find a solution quickly and rest. At this rate, I’ll collapse in this room.
“Hyle, if there’s no solution, find one. Because that’s your only way to live.”
“Why… did you choose me?”
Judging by his expression, he seemed to think this was something I was doing out of House Laté’s grudge against House Feros.
“Don’t misunderstand, it’s not because you’re from House Feros. I simply wanted someone with high understanding and skilled control of holy power.”
“Any high-ranking priest can do that much.”
“No, only you can do this.”
Hyle’s expression turned puzzled at my firmness.
He didn’t seem to realize how powerful his holy power was.
No matter how high-ranking a priest might be, not just anyone could handle my heart that contained dark power.
Well, since Hyle hasn’t awakened his true holy power yet, he might be slow to realize his power.
In the original story, he awakened as the male supporting character while saving Hertiana in crisis – I wonder how it will go this time.
“…There is another way besides removing the holy power from your heart.”
“Another way?”
Unexpected words came.
Another method exists – whatever it might be, it couldn’t be unwelcome news.
After all, I have no other lifelines left now.
“Rather than removing it, we could infuse more holy power. Your heart, which already contains holy power, should accept it without problems.”
“There’s something I forgot to mention – the holy power becomes corrupted whenever I use black magic. So unless I regularly receive holy power, that’s not a solution.”
Infusing holy power – it was certainly a different approach from my focus on removal.
But that couldn’t be a permanent solution.
Who would regularly give holy power to a complete stranger?
Moreover, there were only a handful of people in the empire who had enough holy power to share with others.
And as a Laté, it was impossible for me to suppress black magic.
So while it sounded good, ultimately it was useless.
“I’ll give it.”
“…You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“As the Young Lord of House Feros, I’ll take responsibility for regularly supplying holy power to keep you alive. If you want, we can draw up a contract.”
When I brushed off his words playfully, Hyle reassured me again with a serious face.
A strange light flickered in his emerald eyes.
What’s he thinking, blurting out something like that? Of course it’s good for me, but honestly, Hyle has no reason to save me.
He could just say he can’t do it and let me go, that’s all.
Then I would have had no choice but to look for another way…
“That sounds suspiciously like you’re planning to purify my black heart.”
“If that’s what it takes to keep you alive, then yes.”
If Hyle, with his high-purity holy power, keeps infusing my heart with it, eventually my heart might shed its dark power and become purified.
By then, I would no longer be a Laté.
A heart without dark power wouldn’t be able to handle black magic, spells, or magical beasts.
I don’t know if Hyle can really purify my heart. This development never appeared in the original story.
But I have no other options now.
“A Feros purifying a Laté… interesting. Alright, fine. Now tell me what you want.”
A strange light flashed momentarily in Hyle’s green eyes.
What’s with that look? It feels ominous somehow.
“You’ll grant anything?”
“…Well, if it’s something I can do…”
What is he going to ask for…?