Kabillon cried desperately, but Seiden’s anger did not subside. The imperial palace and the temple did not matter to Seiden at all. Unless he tore that Duke who put Bellota in danger to pieces right now, his rage would not be quelled.

“I-I really don’t know. Ugh, I swear, Sir!”

The tense standoff between Macron and Seiden, with Kabillon desperately trying to intervene, was finally broken by the urgent arrival of Felton.

“Commander!”

Hearing that call, Seiden, who seemed ready to never let go of Macron’s collar, loosened his grip and turned his head. Taking advantage of the loosened grip, Macron quickly slipped his bulky body away and fled without looking back.

Kabillon was tense, fearing that Seiden might follow him, but Seiden didn’t even glance at him and simply stared at Felton. Thoughts of Geril and the imperial palace were completely erased from his mind. At this moment, the only thing that mattered to him was Bellota’s safety.

“What happened? Has the Saintess awakened?”

Felton sighed softly at the urgent question. Dark shadows loomed under Felton’s eyes, showing his exhaustion. He had used too much holy power.

“That’s not it. The Saintess has not yet awakened.”

Seiden’s heart sank at Felton’s grim response.

“The wound on her shoulder was treated quickly, but the problem is with the wound on her ankle. It seems that a severe curse was imbued in the creature’s tentacle. It’s a curse that induces deep sleep. The Saintess is in a deep slumber.”

Seiden’s face hardened at those serious words. Kabillon, who had been holding onto Seiden’s waist, also realized the gravity of the situation and let go, stepping back.

“……Is it a curse that the priest cannot lift?”

Seiden asked with a sinking face, and Felton shook his head.

“It’s not that, but it will take time. If it were the Saintess’s healing power, it could be done in two days, but with my healing power, it’s impossible even if I give it my all. It will take at least five days.”

Felton glanced at Seiden as he spoke. Five days from now. And there were only five days left until the full moon. They didn’t know what would happen if Bellota didn’t wake up by the time the curse manifested. They hadn’t considered such a scenario. Moreover, the bigger problem was that they couldn’t predict the future cycle because of the full moon that rose last night.

Felton had gone to bed early after dinner last night, so he learned about the full moon rising only later. Upon hearing the news, Felton also wanted to visit Bellota and talk about the moon that had risen yesterday, but he didn’t have the time. Geril had taken Bellota away early. His heart sank, but fortunately, nothing seemed to have happened to Bellota.

The problem was from now on. Felton analyzed the shape of the moon, and the result was that the moon that rose today was definitely five days before the full moon. This meant that the full moon would rise again in five days. However, since such an event happened last night, they couldn’t ignore the possibility of the full moon rising unexpectedly again or not rising in five days.

For now, the best course of action was to prepare for the full moon rising again in five days. But then another barrier arose. They had to spend the full moon here, not at the tower. Felton’s head felt like it was splitting, not knowing that Seiden and Bellota had already experienced the full moon’s curse once last night.

“…….”

Seiden understood Felton’s words immediately. He was also calculating the time until the full moon, just like Felton. Trying to figure out the minimum time needed to return to the capital and safely reach the tower with Bellota. But all those calculations fell apart in front of the sleeping Bellota.

Having made up his mind, Seiden looked at Felton and said,

“Proceed with the treatment. We won’t move until the Saintess is fully recovered.”

Felton looked at Seiden with surprised eyes. But with Kabillon standing firm behind Seiden, he couldn’t say more. It was evident that the perceptive Kabillon already found this conversation suspicious.

If the Saintess is injured, she should be treated, and if it takes five days for her to wake up, they can leave after five days of treatment. What’s the problem?

Seiden, who had no intention of answering that strange question, walked straight towards where the sleeping Bellota was.

“I must see the Saintess.”

Felton couldn’t stop him and watched Seiden’s figure stride away.

If it weren’t for Seiden, things could have turned disastrous. Felton learned late that the method to lure the giant monster was a child’s blood. He also understood why Seiden had rushed to the orphanage upon hearing that Bellota was there.

But the expression Seiden had when he heard Bellota was at the orphanage… Was Seiden Blackwood helping the Saintess purely out of faith? A small and perplexing doubt sprouted within Felton.

“…….”

Kabillon approached Felton and asked anxiously,

“Will it be alright?”

Felton delayed his answer, pondering the question. Who? Bellota? Or Seiden? Or both? He couldn’t easily answer this question for anyone.

“We can only hope so.”

Felton could only give this ambiguous and frustrating answer, swallowing a tired sigh.

* * *

Creak, the sound of the door opening echoed in the room where even the dust held its breath. Seiden entered through the slowly opened door. As soon as he stepped inside, Bellota’s figure filled his sight. Just as Felton said, Bellota lay with her eyes closed, deeply asleep.

“…….”

After moving the creaky door to completely block out external sounds, Seiden approached Bellota lying on the white bed. Bellota was truly in a deep sleep. Her body lay still without any movement. Seiden, silently watching her, noticed that Bellota’s shoulder was still stained with blood.

Seeing Bellota lying there with her pale face and red blood, his throat tightened. Overwhelmed by a sudden unease, Seiden hurriedly placed his hand under her nose. After a fleeting moment that felt like an eternity, a faint breath settled on his fingers. At the same time, a very slow and quiet sound flowed in the silent room. It was Bellota’s breathing.

“Ha……”

Only then did the fear gripping Seiden’s heart dissolve into nothingness. He foolishly sighed in relief, wiping his face, and then sat beside her, staring at her pitiful face. The beautiful woman, like a crafted porcelain doll, lay with her eyes closed, breathing softly.

Each time that faint breath was exhaled, Seiden’s heart ached, recalling Bellota’s face, which had been tightly shut. The face that had given up itself to death yet tried to protect the children until the end. Bellota’s strength, which he had known for a long time, broke him repeatedly. Seiden knew what kept Bellota going, what made her stand up continuously. He had known for a very long time.

Seiden gazed at the stubbornly sleeping face.

“……From now on, no matter what provocations the Saintess makes, I won’t accompany you on any more hunts.”

Seiden felt as if his lifespan had been cut by ten years at once. He had faced countless hunts and terrifying monsters, but he had never felt such a thrill.

There was still only one thing in this world that made him feel this way. The woman sleeping before him. Even at this moment, the thought that Bellota might never wake up made the blood in Seiden’s veins run cold.

“You are really too much for me.”

Seiden did not take his eyes off Bellota even as he asked a question that would receive no answer.

“This is really the last time.”

Seiden muttered in a low voice, as if making a vow.

“I won’t let you be in danger anymore.”

Seiden’s lips moved as if he had more to say, but he closed them and slowly extended his hand. The hand reached out cautiously but didn’t touch Bellota’s white cheek, hovering above it before finally dropping into the air.

Seiden sat there by Bellota’s side throughout the night. Bellota did not wake up even as night turned to morning. It was only after the bright morning sunlight had half-invaded the dark room that Seiden stood up and left.

* * *

“It seems that the Duke of Lylester returned to the capital at dawn. As you ordered, we searched even the underground, but it was empty. And he left all these behind.”

Seiden let out a hollow laugh as he looked at the items the holy knights had brought. This was all clearly Geril’s doing. Seiden had discovered that the monster that attacked the orphanage was a salverk, which did not inhabit this area.

Monsters rarely appeared in places where stronger monsters resided. So it was strange for a mid-level monster to appear where dangerous high-level monsters were, and even more so for a salverk, which couldn’t be found in coastal areas.

This overly awkward causality made sense only when the condition of Geril was added in. From start to finish, it had been that man’s scheme. That fool had released the monster to attack the orphanage and used it as an excuse to take Bellota away.

Of course, Geril probably hadn’t expected a sea monster to appear there. Kabillon suggested that it might have been a trap set by him, but Bellota had fallen into that trap. If Bellota had been harmed, Geril wouldn’t have been able to escape responsibility either, so that couldn’t be the case.

Seiden recalled Dion’s words.

“Well, it’s not certain, but… there’s a rumor that Duke Geril wants to marry the Saintess…”