I Will Not Fall For the Villain’s Flirtations - Chapter 96

I lay on the bed, fiddling with Hemosi’s letter. Josh’s words echoed in my mind.

[I’ve heard that it’s not the priests, but the Stellas who are inexperienced in using holy power that mostly disappear. Whether it’s a mere coincidence or there’s another reason, I don’t know…]

Suddenly, the scene from when I was kidnapped with Hemosi came to mind. At that time, the old woman pointed at me and clearly said this:

[She better have ample holy power to be worth the risk of bringing her.]

My grip tightened, crumpling the edge of the letter. Judging by what the old woman said, it was clear they intended to steal my holy power. But there is no known magic that can permanently steal holy power.

Trying to hypnotize myself, I closed my eyes and attempted to recall the situation back then. After inhaling the unidentified gas and passing out, what did I see when I barely regained consciousness?

“Black smoke…”

The old woman squatting in front of Hemosi, making incomprehensible gestures. And the thin ring of black smoke swirling around the old woman’s hand.

It didn’t seem like magic. What was the true nature of that smoke?

[Ugh, where did you find a kid with such weak holy power?]

I retraced the old woman’s actions when she said that. She was reaching towards the ceiling where light was streaming in, observing something.

I didn’t see it clearly because it was small, but it was something like a jewel. Coincidentally, it was green.

Yes, green. It was green. Of all the colors, why green?

[If you keep favoring one candidate like that, it could raise questions about fairness.]

[Isn’t it already decided?]

The scene of Chelin Sniter shielding Prim and taking her away before punishment was replayed. Was it merely a coincidence that the necklace was around her favored junior’s neck?

“A couple’s item… it could be something like that.”

If they were close, they could have matched friendship necklaces or something. Imagining them buying it together was a bit funny.

However, dismissing it so lightly made me feel an inexplicable unease. It was probably due to Chelin’s overreaction in the infirmary.

[Ah.]

[……]

When I gave it a brief glance, feeling familiar, she quickly hid it inside her clothes as if it were a stolen item. And in the competition, as soon as Prim grabbed it, a strong holy power erupted. As if the necklace had added strength.

“Am I overthinking this?”

Naturally, cheating among candidates in the competition is strictly prohibited. If that necklace were really an item similar to a magic stone, it would have been caught during the pre-competition inspection.

Moreover, even if it were a magic stone, it couldn’t contain that much power in such a small size. There must have been another reason for the explosion of Prim’s holy power at the last moment.

“Ugh, my head hurts.”

Trying to use my brain, which I rarely did, while being unwell, brought on a headache. Just as I was thinking of setting the letter aside and taking a nap, there was a knock at the door.

“Duna.”

“…Peidos.”

The silver hair that I’m for the first time in a while, shone brilliantly in the sunlight coming through the window. I quickly adjusted my posture from lying down to sitting up to greet him.

“What brings you here?”

“What do you mean, ‘what brings you here’? I…”

It was only after he stopped, flustered, that I realized my question was inappropriate.

Not long after the competition, I passed out and had just eaten my first meal since regaining consciousness. In such a situation, it was natural for my fiancé to visit.

“…I thought you’d be busy.”

“The Great Saint will be decided soon, so I’ll be staying at the Grand Temple for a while. I’ll be by your side until you recover.”

“Oh… Thank you.”

After that, there was another awkward silence. I fiddled with the warm teacup he handed me and took a sip without a word. The bitter taste of green tea lingered on my tongue. As I swallowed repeatedly to get rid of the dryness, he spoke.

“You showed remarkable results in the competition. Although I thought you had potential, I didn’t expect it to be to that extent.”

“….”

“I felt sorry for pushing my selfishness on you, but I want to thank you for exceeding my expectations with your efforts. But now…”

As if everything he said so far was to lead up to the next part, he gently held my hand and spoke soothingly.

“It’s okay to stop now.”

“…Peidos.”

“You must have heard, it’s too dangerous. I don’t want to burden you with such risks.”

The competition with Prim was judged a draw. The barriers broke simultaneously, and both of us were thrown out of the designated line.

In the history of the Holy Kingdom, cases where a one-on-one competition ended in a draw could be counted on one hand. Generally, most candidates are eliminated during the process of receiving stars, so it’s rare for the competition to even take place.

However, this Great Saint selection was greatly simplified due to Chelin Sniter’s poisoning, and the contributions made by Prim and me were unprecedented for newcomers, changing the dynamics significantly. Because of this, the cardinals seemed to be struggling with how to resolve the situation.

The conclusion they reached was to adhere to the principles. If it’s difficult to select based on human standards, leave the decision entirely to the divine.

“The holy relic has been around since ancient times. It’s sacred and full of unsolved mysteries.”

The holy relic is the means to show the final choice. Connecting with the relic to receive the oracle is the only way to know the will of the gods.

However, this is originally a step to see if the final selected Great Saint aligns with the will of the gods. There have only been two instances in history where more than one candidate connected with the relic.

The problem is, there’s no record of what happened to the remaining candidates who didn’t become the Great Saint.

“Those chosen by the gods take days to wake up. Ren was unconscious for about five days.”

“…….”

“Moreover, there is no record of the fate of those who were not chosen. I don’t want to lose you.”

Despite his earnest words, there was strangely no turmoil in my heart. I looked at him with dry eyes and slowly parted my lips.

“You think I won’t be chosen.”

“……Duna, that’s not it.”

I shook my head as if to say it was okay. In fact, it was natural for him to think that way. Until Priest Hameron gave me the star, most of the priests would have doubted Sister Elexi’s recommendation itself.

“I just don’t want you to jump into something dangerous because of me….”

“Sir Peidos.”

Interrupting his words, I looked straight into his eyes. It had been a long time since I had stared into those clear, untainted green eyes. Looking into those slightly widened eyes, I slowly shook my head.

“It’s not because of you.”

“…….”

“Accepting the status of a candidate was meaningful to me as well.”

There was something I wanted to confirm. And I wanted to prove it.

That Duna Valorem is not someone destined to be a supporting character.

“You don’t need to feel guilty. It’s all my choice.”

Of course, I was shocked when I woke up and heard about the final selection process along with the results of the competition. Competing with Prim alone had exhausted me mentally and physically, and now they were asking me to jump into the next stage, which might even cost my life. It sounded absurd.

I admit that there is some fear. No, maybe it’s more than just some.

However, I also thought it was a good opportunity. If the holy relic really is a means to contact the god.

Because I had a lot of questions I wanted to ask this damn god.

“More than that, about our engagement. I think….”

“I understand your intention.”

The topic I cautiously brought up was cut off abruptly.

“What?”

“I respect your opinion. It doesn’t make sense for me to demand your safety while I risk my life on the battlefield because of my mission.”

His face, filled with some kind of determination, turned towards me. Sir Peidos tightened his grip on my hand and continued.

“So there is no need to break the engagement. Even if you don’t wake up, I won’t annul the engagement. I originally intended to remain single anyway.”

“……What?”

It seemed he thought I was considering breaking the engagement because of the dangerous final selection process. Since that wasn’t the reason, I was flustered and gaped at him, but he stood up and said.

“I will believe in you and support you. That is my role.”

“…….”

“As your fiancé, that’s all I can do.”

Behind Sir Peidos, I saw the healing priest who had come to check on my condition. It seemed he was leaving to give way to the priest.

I couldn’t bring myself to stop Sir Peidos, who left after nodding to the priest and saying he was leaving me in their care. Even if the healing priest hadn’t come in, it was ridiculous to discuss breaking off the engagement when everything was uncertain.

Frankly, I might not become the Great Saint, or I might be trapped in the holy relic and never wake up.

“How is your body feeling?”

Thud. A familiar envelope fell on the blanket. My head automatically lifted at the sight of the large Mattnum Possun label.

There was only one person who would hand me something like this. Sure enough, the person disguised as a healing priest was none other than Keene.