Chapter 11 – The Child of God (Part 11)

“They conducted experiments under the guise of developing a cure. After the experiment, they deliberately fed them a drug that made them forget the pain, disguised as holy water, so they wouldn’t suspect anything. But even though the pain was forgotten, their bodies continued to rot, and it was only after a long time that they realized something was wrong.”

But by the time they noticed something was wrong, it was already too late. There was no news about the cure, their bodies had decayed beyond repair, and the water they thought was holy water had minimal effect after just one dose.

Only then did they become furious at the temple for exploiting their desperation and at their own foolishness. What made them angrier was that they had no authority to punish those who wronged them.

Then, by chance, really by chance, they discovered a creature similar to a monster in a space they secretly peeked into while a priest was away.

The two, who were called the future rulers of the North, couldn’t fail to recognize that existence. Although it was a now extinct creature, the North, which had been hunting monsters for generations, still educated its people about monsters, so all Northerners knew something about their appearance and characteristics.

They decided to return to the North immediately. Fearing the temple might notice something amiss, they secretly prepared to return. Still, just in case, they hid a letter and a pendant somewhere in the temple, hoping someone would find them if they couldn’t reveal the temple’s ugliness.

They judged that no one would think such things would be in their fortress, under the assumption that the darkest place is under the lamp. What happened afterward was known to all. An accident occurred, and the two lost their lives.

Feeling guilty for no reason, Ria lowered her gaze and hesitated before looking at Letban.

“…What the two desperately wanted, what the temple used as bait, that was.”

“…”

“It was a cure for the Young Marquis.”

Letban felt dizzy at that moment. It was as if someone was squeezing his heart tightly. No, perhaps it was a feeling of being shattered into pieces. The ground beneath his feet seemed to collapse, and his vision turned black.

Only then did he understand why she told him not to blame himself. His parents died for him. They struggled in pain and were used only for him, then died.

As a child, he was very weak and suffered from an unknown illness. None of the doctors knew what it was. He learned a lot about herbs and how to handle them well because he studied them to find a way on his own.

Then his parents said they would soon obtain a cure, and not long after, his condition began to improve. But since neither the illness nor the reason for the improvement was known, he didn’t immediately tell them, fearing his current state might be temporary.

His parents wanted nothing more than his improved health, so he thought he might disappoint them unnecessarily.

But, but…

“Ah…”

Letban grabbed his head tightly with both hands. 

If I had quickly conveyed the fact and told them to just return to the North, things might have been different!

Ria, watching Letban writhe in agony without being able to cry out loud, spoke up, hoping to ease his torment.

“The temple developed the cure up to just before completion. But since the only person who could see the effect was the Young Marquis, it wasn’t proven and couldn’t be released to the market, so the experiment stopped. I don’t know if this will be comforting, but… what they did wasn’t in vain.”

It wasn’t all a lie. According to the previous Child of God, to make the drug the temple intended, they first had to succeed in making the cure.

But there was one fact that no one knew. Only Ria, who heard it from the previous Child of God, knew why Letban fell ill.

She didn’t know what kind of drug the temple was trying to make. Since it was an experiment that ultimately failed and was discarded, even more so. But to do so, as mentioned earlier, they first needed to create the cure, and for that, they needed a patient to show the cure’s effect.

‘The temple deliberately afflicted the Young Marquis with that illness. A disease close to a curse. Why did they have to go to the trouble of targeting someone from the distant and isolated North?’

The reason was unknown. The previous Child of God also said they didn’t know the reason. They only speculated that it might have been because it was a good place to avoid the eyes of the Imperial family.

In any case, Ria decided not to mention this. It would be an unbearable truth for them, who were already overwhelmed with the current situation.

Instead, she decided to do what she could. Although there was a promise she had made with the four men, she wanted to repay those who saved her and took care of her warmly. The curse had only been stopped, not removed.

Ria looked directly at Knox, whose face was as marked by anger and distress as Letban’s.

The moment she spoke these words, she couldn’t predict how those with strong resentment toward the temple would react. They might even misunderstand her as being on the temple’s side and expel her immediately. But even so, she couldn’t just pass by without knowing.

“Marquis, the Young Marquis’s illness isn’t cured.”

“What?”

Knox, unable to suppress the ferocity of his anger toward the temple, looked directly at Ria. Her hands trembled under the pressure, but she pretended not to notice and didn’t avert her eyes.

“I can cure it.”

“Miss…!”

Kahin, who had heard that the Marquis knew about the Child of God, tried to stop her, anticipating what she would say next. But Ria’s resolve was firm.

“With my healing power.”

Unlike before, her eyes now held a clear light. She now had firm belief and affection for her abilities.

But regardless of that, a different kind of silence fell in the office.

Letban, who had not yet taken the position of Marquis, didn’t know about the Child of God, which was only passed down to the head of the family, so he didn’t understand what she meant. Knox was surprised that Ria brought up her abilities first.

He wondered if she felt safe to speak because she knew he was aware of the Child of God, but seeing Kahin shake his head, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

‘Did she reveal her abilities despite the risk?’

He vaguely understood the reason for hiding her abilities, so he couldn’t immediately understand her actions. He briefly thought that maybe she did it because the Marquis’s family treated her well, but if that were the case, he felt sorry. There was a reason for their kindness.

So they didn’t deserve to receive anything more from her. Comparing the dead to the living was certainly rude, no matter the reason.

Therefore, Knox spoke words of refusal before Ria could say more.

“If your decision is to repay for the care you’ve received so far, I must decline. Your repayment is already sufficient with finding the pendant and letter, revealing the hidden truth of the incident, and telling us about Letban’s illness.”

Ria was taken aback by his attitude, which was different from what she expected. However, she had no intention of changing her mind. There was no telling when the temple might cause the curse to manifest again. The fact that nothing had happened so far was merely due to luck.

Though she wanted to explain and persuade them carefully, she didn’t have the luxury of time.

“You saved my life, so I’m trying to repay in the same way. Please don’t refuse.”

“Saving you was my choice. Now that we know about the illness, we can find another way. That’s my responsibility as the Marquis, not yours.”

“You know there’s practically no cure. I don’t understand why you would choose a difficult method when there’s a solution right in front of you.”

“……”

There was nothing wrong with Ria’s words. The only possibility was the temple, which had a record of making the cure, but would he, would the Marquis’s family, be mad enough to ask them for help? They were more likely to devour them whole.

When Knox was momentarily at a loss for words, Ria pressed on firmly.

“Then instead of thinking of it as repayment, think of it this way: Just as you said, I’m simply making my own choice too. Please trust me, just this once.”

There was no way to win against her when she used his own words against him. The fact that there was no room for rebuttal also played a part.

‘I know you’re worried about getting involved with the temple, Father. But isn’t it a parent’s nature to do anything for their child? So this is my choice—a choice as a parent. Please trust me.’

And above all, Ria’s last words reminded Knox of a letter from his daughter long ago, saying she might be able to obtain a cure from the temple. Knox had to admit it. He would never be able to win against this young lady, just as he could never win against his daughter.

Perhaps it was something foreseen from the moment he first compared her to his daughter.