“I’m starting to think I use my half-days off too often these days…”
“It’s okay. Go ahead. We don’t have anywhere to go anyway, since our family home is far away.”
“Thanks, everyone…”
After sending Tia to school early in the morning, I immediately took my half-day off.
Now the village is completely burned down and gone.
I plan to stop by the Holy Maiden’s house, located on a hill a little distance away.
I thought I might be able to gather information about the original owner of this body…
However, I felt a bit guilty for taking so much time off just for myself, but my coworkers just kept urging me on.
They’re always so straightforward; even a slight frown on my face shows in their expressions.
So when they smiled and told me to hurry up, I was genuinely grateful.
“You’re going to meet your boyfriend, right?”
“What?”
“What are you waiting for? You should spend as much time as you can with your boyfriend!”
“No… that’s not what…”
I sensed an unusual amount of concern from them.
As expected, they were misinterpreting the situation.
I was so flustered that I could hardly speak properly.
How did this misunderstanding happen in the first place…?
“I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“Yeah, sure. That’s what you say.”
“I really don’t! Why don’t you believe me?”
“Wasn’t it us who sent Tia and you back first after the Sunday service? And what about you going shopping yesterday and taking three hours? Hmm…”
“Th-that’s…”
As I stammered in embarrassment, the maids’ expressions brightened.
They looked overjoyed, as if they had caught onto something.
d*mn it. This isn’t true.
I only spent that time receiving private tutoring from Alexander; there was nothing romantic about it at all.
As a man in my former life, there was no way I could date another man…
“Is that the priestess from back then? Hmm?”
“No…”
“Oh. So he’s not your boyfriend yet, just a ‘thing’?”
“No way!”
“Hahaha! The way you’re getting mad, it must be true!”
“…”
They won’t believe me no matter what I say.
Defeated, I gave up trying to convince them and turned away.
My face felt hot the entire time I walked down the hallway.
‘Let’s make this quick and get back.’
This time, I needed to be quick so as not to cause further misunderstandings.
If I avoided getting distracted along the way, it would definitely be possible to return within two hours.
I took the pendant and hung it around my neck before leaving the villa.
Since today was about going out alone, I couldn’t call for the coachman.
So, I headed straight for the terminal.
‘This is a first for me.’
Though I had been living in this city for quite some time, I had never been to the terminal.
Given how poorly the author crafted the settings, I expected the terminal to be shoddy, but it was surprisingly spacious and well-constructed, which was a surprise.
It certainly deserved to be called the transportation hub of the imperial capital.
I picked a passing coach from the busy ones.
It wasn’t much different from hailing a taxi.
As I got into the carriage and saw the terminal gradually disappearing outside the window, my heart began to race.
It felt like I was embarking on a solo journey.
“We have arrived.”
“Oh. Uh.”
When did I fall asleep?
By the time I realized it, we had already arrived.
I pulled back the curtain and, confirming the sight outside, saw the remains of the burned village, which matched the destination I had mentioned.
I wiped the drool from the corner of my mouth and opened the door.
“Could you wait here? I’ll be back right away… Huh?!”
I lost my footing on the carriage step and tumbled forward.
Now that I think about it, the duke always held my hand when I got off the carriage…
Without someone to lend a hand, this is what happened.
Brushing off the dirt from my skirt, I stood up.
It’s not like I felt empty without the duke’s absence or anything.
“I’m sorry. It seems the horse can’t endure the scorching sun any longer, so I’ll go change it at a nearby post station. It should take about 20 minutes…”
“Sure… be right back…”
Embarrassed, I answered without looking back.
Soon, I heard the sounds of hooves fading away.
Twenty minutes should be enough time for me to complete my task.
Slowly, I began ascending the grassy hill.
The small house at the top was standing just as it had been that day.
It felt as if time had completely stopped since the day I left.
Once I reached the top, I was panting harder than I thought I would.
Gasping for breath, I turned the doorknob.
“Huh? Ugh… Ugh?!”
The door wouldn’t budge as if something was stuck, so I had to put some force into it.
Then, suddenly, the door swung open, and I fell forward once more.
After tumbling twice, my chest felt like it was crushed, and tears welled up in my eyes.
I sniffled and got up, surveying the room.
“Wow… I really didn’t want to come back…”
It looked just the same as when I escaped.
Broken windows, a messy bed, and a door with twisted hinges.
Carefully avoiding the glass shards underfoot, I strolled around inside, examining every nook and cranny.
“Why is everything so empty…?”
Even when I pulled out all the drawers, they only contained junk, with nothing beneficial at all.
The Holy Maiden may not have had many personal belongings to begin with.
Still, no photographs? That’s a bit much…
“Hmm…”
As I continued my search, I opened the wardrobe and felt my face flush with embarrassment.
There were a few outfits hanging that I wouldn’t believe even a prostitute would wear.
What was I thinking when I saw that?
Perhaps lost in thought, I had unknowingly changed into one of those outfits.
“Ahhh…”
After putting it all on, I stared at myself in shock.
That’s right. This is how I originally looked…
Everything was exposed from the back, shamelessly revealing my thighs and sides…
That’s right, I didn’t even wear any underwear underneath.
Even the slightest movement could make everything visible.
How could that Holy Maiden casually wear something like this?
Just a moment after being possessed, I had briefly worn this as well, and it left me feeling embarrassed once again.
“I need to change back…”
I grew fearful of what someone might think if they saw me like this.
Trying to cool my flushed face, I was about to change back when…
“Ah?!”
Suddenly, a loud bang made me jump in fright.
It was definitely an explosion.
I felt the entire house shake.
Even after the explosion, the rumbling continued, making me feel dreadfully uneasy.
“What the hell…?”
I rushed outside and saw, in the distance, a mushroom cloud resembling something sinister rising.
There had clearly been a huge explosion in the forest above.
Only then did I remember.
Leopard had warned me never to go near the Puthrana forest.
Now I understood why.
“Hmm?”
Just then, I noticed a black dot falling from the sky.
No, it was more accurate to say it was plummeting.
When the black dot grew larger until it seemed to be the size of a house, I felt a rush of panic.
If I wasn’t careful, I might get hit and d*e, so I hurriedly began to escape.
“Ah!”
After throwing myself forward, I barely avoided the falling object.
I heard a heavy thud behind me, and the large object skidded along the ground for a long while before finally coming to a stop.
At first, I thought it was a meteor.
But then the massive body wriggled and made a rumbling noise.
It was a living creature.
Of all things, it had to be…
“A Dragon…”
It was a dragon.
Its wings were all torn, and its body was covered in bl**d.
Since I didn’t have good memories about dragons, I felt averse to it.
It was clearly in so much pain that it looked like it could d*e at any moment, but that was none of my business.
So, I planned to just leave it and escape.
I had thought about taking the returning carriage and making a run for it.
However, seeing it writhing in desperation to survive, my heart softened.
“Stay still… just stay still…”
I approached and gently stroked its head.
Its condition was far more severe than I’d imagined.
Having taken the brunt of the earlier explosion, its entire body was covered in horrific burns and it was wheezing as if its lungs were damaged.
It was dying right in front of me.
Even without extensive medical knowledge, I could tell from its increasingly shallow breaths.
It needed a ‘miracle.’
‘I can do this. I can manage it.’
I focused on the divine power within me, calming my breathing.
The miracle I learned from Alexander was at a basic level.
He had said he would teach me the miracle capable of healing wounds next time.
But it didn’t have the luxury of next time.
I had to save it right then and there.
Having failed at even the slightest basic miracle in Alexander’s lessons, now I found myself in a situation that required me to master advanced techniques.
It was like taking my first steps and having to run immediately afterward.
‘Who cares…!’
I began the process of controlling the flow of divine power to soften it.
In other words, I started to purify it.
Though I had never perfectly succeeded before, for some reason, it felt right this time.
As if possessed, my fingertips moved erratically as I wielded the divine power.
The swirling divine energy was drawn into the dragon’s body, beginning to emit a bright light.
‘It’s successful.’
I instinctively felt it.
I was now using the miracle of healing.
It felt so familiar, like it was embedded within my body, that I was performing the miracle effortlessly.
The more divine power I poured out, the more fatigued I felt, and my head began to ache.
I wanted to stop right then and there.
But at the same time, seeing the dragon’s wings regrowing and the scales rising while the burns healed kept me from giving up.
I tried to hold on until the end, but ultimately, I completely collapsed and slumped down.
“Grrooooor…”
The familiar sound echoed in my ears, sending chills down my spine.
It was a sound I could never forget.
As I trembled and looked up, I could see the dragon’s body covered entirely in dark scales.
It’s confirmed. That b*stard…
The one who raped me and got me pregnant was this dragon.
Normally, I would have wanted to charge at it and smack it silly, but I found myself too exhausted to move.
“Hey, you b*stard! Why are you running away again? Come back! No?’
“Grroooor?”
It slowly began to back away with a look of confusion before quickly spreading its wings and taking off in flight.
Crazy b*stard.
I saved it, and it’s running away again…
“You son of a… what a piece of work…”
I fell onto the grassy ground, quietly cursing while crying.
If I had known it was that one, I wouldn’t have saved it.
I would have let it d*e.
My teeth ground together in frustration.
