CHAPTER 1

“You let me win.”

Was it from then on? 

Dian felt something odd.

“Yeah, I did.”

With a faint smile, Dian took her outstretched hand and got up.

On the training ground on a sunny spring day, they sparred as usual. But unlike usual, she won against Dian.

“Are you okay, Dian?!”

Her first victory didn’t please her in the least.

“It’s not like my skills improved overnight, and you don’t seem to be feeling well.”

Clearly slowed pace, and the mighty Dian was catching his breath.

“……I’m fine.”

She didn’t take a closer look at his face because she saw it all the time, but when she approached and examined him closely, his complexion didn’t look good.

“You look pale.”

She raised her hand in surprise and touched Dian’s forehead. He flinched but then gently pressed his forehead against her palm.

“You don’t seem to have a fever…”

Just a lukewarm temperature. She lightly touched both Dian’s cheek and forehead alternately.

“I do think I’m a little under the weather.”

“You do, don’t you? Go see Herta quickly. Something seems off about you.”

“Alright. But it’s probably nothing.”

Dian lightly smiled as if to say not to worry.

It was spring, not long after graduating from the Royal Academy. After three years of study, she was both bittersweet and excited. Soon she would leave the capital and go to the estate, where she would see her family, though she wouldn’t see Dian or her other friends as often as she did now.

For now, she was staying at the mansion in the capital due to a series of weddings after graduation. Days filled with the excitement of attending various friends’ weddings and pondering what she would do next in life.

But misfortune came without warning: her best childhood friend and the sole successor to the Ducal family, Dian Hidesen, fell ill with an unknown disease.

At first, he seemed a little unwell, but then he began to vomit with every bite of food and cough all day long. His condition rapidly deteriorated as he was unable to eat and sleep properly, and he felt as if some unknown force was at work that was debilitating him.

Her excitement was gone, and she was filled with worry all day. Since Dian still had plans to go to the Ducal estate after finishing his scheduled appointments, he remained in the capital. 

In the capital, their mansions were close enough to each other that she practically visited the Ducal estate every day.

Today, as soon as she woke up in the morning, she rode over. The corridors were deserted. Before she could knock on the bedroom door, she was greeted by the sound of Dian’s coughing. The consecutive coughs vividly conveyed his pain. She hesitated, standing behind the door, waiting for the coughing to stop.

“…… Come here, Rienn.”

“Hey.”

She forced a smile as she opened the door.

“How are you feeling today?”

Despite the question, Dian’s complexion had worsened noticeably.

“I’m fine. Did you have breakfast?”

“Yeah, I ate before coming.”

She sat on the chair beside the bed and met his gaze.

…How can someone change so much in just a few days?

His face was pale, with dark shadows under his eyes. His once strong stature now seemed frail, with his long neck and prominent shoulder blades that stood out. Still handsome and beautiful, but… the sickness was evident.

“Rienn, you don’t have to worry.”

“I’m not worried. You’ll get better soon, anyway.”

There’s nothing good to come from being jittery around a patient.

“Really, last night, I received a letter from Father.”

“What!!!”

She jumped up and then sat back down.

“What did the Duke say?! When is he coming?!”

Dian chuckled slightly.

“He left as soon as he heard the news, but it’ll take about a month. He’s patrolling the provinces, so he’s traveling from Terne.”

“Oh, my…….”

Terne was a long way from the capital.

“But he informed me a lot through the letter.”

“Like what? Does he know about your illness?”

“Something like that.”

“Sigh…”

Relief washed over her in an instant. Urging him to tell me more, she nodded vigorously with wide eyes.

“I just found out about this for the first time, too…….”

“Yes, yes.”

“The ancestor of the Hidesen family had the blood of the gods.”

“Huh?”

She doubted her ears.

“The blood of the gods?”

“Yeah, I don’t know why the blood of the gods got mixed in, but…”

“Keep talking.”

“It fades with each successive generation, but there are some who are born with it, especially when they reach adulthood. The problem is that human flesh isn’t strong enough to contain the blood of the gods. It’s like the vessel is about to shatter.”

“And you’re one of those cases?”

“Yes.”

Dian’s defiant strength, it made sense now.

“So? Is there a solution?”

“Yeah, they say you can soothe and neutralize the blood by consuming something. Do you know my great-grandfather?”

“Irenion Hidesen.”

She hesitated, murmuring the name, then added belatedly, “Your great-grandfather.”

Irenion Hidesen.

He was a legendary figure, one that no one in the kingdom could fail to recognize. The hero who led the Seraphion War to victory, the greatest knight of all time. A regular figure in history classes.

“Apparently, when my great-grandfather became an adult, he experienced similar symptoms. He received an Oracle at the Temple of Healing, which told him to drink the blood of horses, and he got better by following it.”

“So, if you drink horse’s blood, you’ll get better too?!”

“No. It varies from person to person, and according to family records, it can be anything from plain wine to water infused with rare herbs. The Oracle is the most accurate, so I sent someone to the Temple of Healing.”

“Then we’ll know soon! A way for you to get better.” 

“Yes, so don’t worry anymore.”

Her heart pounded fiercely. 

The blood of the gods flowing through the Hidesen family was bewildering and incomprehensible, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that Dian would get better.

Without realizing it, she got up and hugged Dian tightly.

“I’m relieved. Truly relieved.” 

“……Rienn.”

Arms came up and wrapped around her back and shoulders. A gentle, comforting touch. She widened the gap between them and met his gaze again.

“When will we know about the arrival of the Oracle?”

“I sent someone early in the morning, so it shouldn’t take long. The Temple of Healing is close.”

“When they come, let me know immediately. Whether it’s horse blood or anything else, I’ll help too.” 

“I will. Thank you, Rienn.”