Chapter 65

A dark office with not a single candle lit.

A person sat on a lavish chair, gazing down at the crystal sphere placed on the desk.

The darkness shrouding the room concealed their appearance.

Whether they were young, middle-aged, or elderly—it was impossible to tell.

“By the way, this turned out better than expected. The beasts performed exceptionally well.”

A murky voice flowed through the crystal sphere.

Others would have been astonished had they witnessed this scene.

A relic that allowed communication across distances, unbound by space.

The Messenger of the Sky.

A legendary artifact believed to have vanished in ancient times.

“Indeed. When we sent a few Suin into the capital’s underground, I thought they’d only manage to take out a hundred or so students. I never expected the Suin nation to move so decisively.”

Another voice emerged. A low, composed female voice, carrying an air of dignity.

“With this, the Holy Grail will fill again after eight years. We’re just one step away from the first cup overflowing.”

The seated figure spoke softly. Their voice was peculiar.

It was impossible to tell if it belonged to a man or a woman, an elder or a youth.

A voice with a strange resonance, as if blending all those tones together.

“Finally, it begins.”

“Still, it’s a bit disappointing. If it weren’t for that woman, this alone would have been enough.”

The murky voice grumbled.

“That Ka`har woman? I can’t figure out what she’s thinking. Her actions are so inconsistent.”

“Exactly. She went from committing massacres in the east to suddenly heading to the Empire, and now she’s pretending to be a knight? Her motives and intentions are beyond comprehension.”

“The Third Apostle is fuming. The plans in the east have completely fallen apart, haven’t they?”

“—No need to worry. The Holy Grail is filling, and the signs of transformation are already appearing.”

The seated figure cut off the conversation.

There was no reason to indulge in idle chatter.

It was about time to head out again.

“Everything is for the true gods.”

In response to their declaration, the voices echoed.

“To destroy the false gods and restore the world to its rightful form.”

“At last, we shall ascend.”

And then, silence returned.

======================

An awkward silence lingered for a moment.

Monsters that devour Suin, piles of entrails…

Even by my standards, this rumor was hard to process.

“…Well, I’ll leave the letters here. Make sure to read them later.”

As my silence dragged on, Lacey, who had been waiting for a response, returned to the main topic.

She placed the stack of letters she was holding on the bedside table.

“Read them? In this state?”

It was an absurd suggestion.

The only part of me that could move was above the neck—how was I supposed to read?

“In about five days, you should be able to move your upper body, even if it’s just barely. You might not have full strength, but you’ll be able to read letters.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier if you just read them to me now?”

Waiting five whole days to find out what’s in them was beyond frustrating.

Judging by the senders, the contents were likely important.

“That’s not possible. Letters bearing the seals of the Imperial family or Electors can’t be opened by anyone other than the recipient. Especially if it’s someone from the Holy Kingdom—that alone could cause quite a stir.”

Lacey shook her head and stood up.

Without a moment’s hesitation, as if to say her business here was done.

Right. No more time for chit-chat, I guess.

Her attitude was eerily businesslike, like an ER doctor.

Then again, her role wasn’t all that different.

“Wait, I have one more question.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know Nigel? The knight who came as my escort. She was severely injured fighting Suin, and I asked for her to be treated.”

Nigel. Ever since I woke up in the hospital, she’d been on my mind. She, too, nearly died fighting Boris.

Massive blood loss, extreme exhaustion, and her left arm completely severed.

If it weren’t for Freide, she would’ve died before even reaching the main building.

…At that moment, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

Watching people close to me die before my eyes is always a harrowing experience.

The state of the capital afterward was equally devastating, but…

The weight of one’s heart inevitably shifts based on their relationships.

Despair and fear. Guilt and anger.

Both were deeply shocking, but their directions were distinctly different.

So, what happened to Nigel? Was the treatment not too late?

If they reattached her arm and poured healing miracles into it, would it return to normal?

Well, it probably would. If they can heal ruptured organs, an arm should be no problem.

I didn’t ask Milia. She wouldn’t know anyway.

Milia was…

From the start, Nigel and I had no connection, and although he recovered quickly, he was just as much a patient as I was.

That’s why I had kept the question to myself.

Still, Lacey might know something about Nigel’s condition, unlike Milia.

She probably doesn’t have any direct connection with Nigel either… but as a candidate for sainthood, she’s practically the head of this relief center.

So, I brought it up.

“Nigel…? Nigel… Ah, you mean the knight from Randenburg. I heard she’s recuperating. I haven’t seen her myself, though.”

Recuperating, huh? So, the treatment itself must have gone smoothly.

“Is her arm okay? It was completely severed. They did reattach it, though.”

“Yes. If it had been completely lost, it would have been a bit problematic, but reattaching it is something other priests can handle. She should fully recover in about a week.”

“I see…”

That’s a relief.

Hearing a definitive answer from an expert made me feel a bit more at ease.

“Well, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now. There are still many patients who need treatment.”

“Alright, take care.”

After hearing my response, Lacey stared at me for a while, then silently turned and left the room.

And so, five days passed.

—

Every morning, I received healing spells from the priests, spent the day lying down, and when fatigue set in, I would fall asleep again.

It was a repetitive, hamster-wheel kind of life.

There wasn’t much else I could do anyway.

The meals consisted of bland, watery soup with no flavor.

Since I couldn’t move my body yet, I couldn’t feed myself, so I had to open my mouth like a baby bird while a novice priest in charge of nursing fed me.

Honestly, it was a bit embarrassing to be cared for by a kid who looked about fourteen.

…The real embarrassment wasn’t the feeding process, but what came after.

Every action has its consequence. I felt that truth deeply.

Yes, if there’s input, there’s bound to be output.

It’s such an obvious fact…

Compared to that, having a priest unwrap my bandages and wipe my body with a wet towel was bearable.

Thanks to my raised threshold for shame.

—

Every now and then, various acquaintances visited my room.

Milia, Damien, Asha.

Calix, who had returned from his mission.

And Freide.

Milia told me about the situation at the academy.

The academy had been closed until the situation was resolved, as the campus was being used as a temporary relief center, making lectures impossible anyway.

Thinking of the dead classmates and townspeople, her expression darkened as she spoke.

Damien bowed his head in gratitude.

He said he managed to hold on thanks to the training I gave him.

Well, Natalia’s fighting style was eerily similar to mine.

Honestly, it was unexpected.

Asha wasn’t injured, but half of her wealth was gone.

So, she looked a bit down.

Fortunately, she still had about 20% of her silver bars left?

I guess we’ll have to hope the price of silver quintuples.

…Though that might mean economic collapse.

She didn’t seem too concerned about the deaths. I guess that’s the difference between races.

Calix didn’t say much.

He just asked about my condition, listened to my answer, and silently stared at me.

Then, he muttered, “You’re tough,” and nodded in satisfaction.

That was it.

And then.

I had a long conversation with Freide.

—

It was the morning of the fifth day.

By then, I could sit up halfway, and I was thinking about reading some letters when the door burst open, and Freide walked in. Without knocking, of course.

“I heard you were half-alive, so I came to see for myself. It’s true.”

“What, Freide…?”

I was so surprised I couldn’t speak. This woman, coming to visit me? She strode over, her coat fluttering, and plopped down on a chair with her usual boldness.

The injuries she got fighting Boris’s underlings must have fully healed, given her energetic demeanor.