Chapter 59

The familiar smell of blood fills the air.

And the only person likely to smell like blood here is just one.

I broke out in a cold sweat.

‘No way…?’

No way that fool followed me…

“Cough, cough… Hah… Hah…”

Someone was coughing up blood.

I couldn’t have mistaken it—a sound I had heard many times over the past two years.

Perhaps Evan also sensed the seriousness of the situation, as he stiffened his expression and moved his steps toward the source of the sound.

And,

‘This insane…’

Did he really follow me?

I had warned him directly not to come, saying his life would truly be at risk if he did—so why did he come?!

“[D-Dannes, brother…!!]”

I approached Dannes, who was leaning against the wall and gasping for breath.

“[You need to get treated right now…!]”

“I’m fine… Huh… I can manage this much.”

Manage what, exactly…!

He was bleeding so much that the wall was smeared with blood streaming from his armor; why was he pretending it was nothing?

I stared at Dannes, genuinely bewildered, but he confidently looked back at me.

This guy, knowing I can’t see, doesn’t care about making eye contact.

Anyway, I couldn’t just leave him like this.

Although a Paladin, being a Cleric, can use healing and withstand some injuries with his unique vitality, this was still serious.

The wounds he suffered would have killed an ordinary person long ago, yet he still had some vitality left in him.

But if you asked whether these injuries were mere scratches for a Paladin, the answer was no.

After all, Paladins are human too. If they sustain such severe injuries and bleed profusely, there’s no way they could be fine.

They may endure longer than usual, but no human can survive these kinds of injuries and remain unharmed.

For me, I can survive due to my ability to regenerate immediately. But with injuries of this magnitude, if regeneration ceases, they would die.

But…

“Healing… you really don’t need to do it. My healing is enough to manage… Ugh…”

“[If you say anything more, I’m going to hit you.]”

Where does he think he’s going to refuse treatment?

Absolutely not.

Maybe he’s been avoiding my healing due to what happened in the Realm, but he just walked right into that one.

He knows he’ll die if he doesn’t get treatment, yet he keeps stubbornly refusing.

Seriously…

“[I’ll heal you.]”

Normally, I would treat him completely, but if I healed him entirely here and ended up taking damage in his place, it would be a huge hassle.

I don’t know why, but it would sting my pride.

‘That’s more annoying.’

I guess I have to be the kind and just endure it.

After spending a long time together since coming to this world, I have grown fond of him—my defeat.

“Now, wait a minute…”

“Stay still.”

As I stepped closer to heal him, Dannes, who was trying to escape, was pinned in place by Evan, who had approached us without my noticing.

Though his expression wasn’t particularly favorable, Evan seemed to understand that leaving Dannes like this was undoubtedly dangerous.

Even this young child recognizes that the current situation is perilous; what on earth is Dannes doing?

This is truly absurd.

“[Don’t worry; I’ll only heal you enough to move.]”

If I heal him completely, he will sulk again.

At my words, Dannes stopped moving and slumped down.

It seems he eventually recognized that he was in danger.

Ugh.

*

“Did you really come out here and take care of all the golems?”

“Yeah. They keep getting stronger… The weapon they wield is something I cannot comprehend, but it has an incredible cutting power.”

That’s just how ancient technology is.

Perhaps with the ancient magic refining techniques, they can wrap their magic around weapons, enabling them to unleash tremendous sword energy.

It was almost more astonishing that Dannes emerged unscathed after dealing with such things.

We had faced golems stronger than those Dannes tackled together, but since we were together, alongside my buffs, we fought in a narrow alley. Meanwhile, Dannes had to walk through this vast area, dealing with golems attacking from all directions.

The levels are simply not comparable.

We should genuinely be thankful that he arrived at the boss room with only these wounds.

If he hadn’t shown up, we would have had to go back and resurrect Dannes’s body.

That’s why I said not to come and just go back.

“[If you don’t listen to me from now on, you’ll be in big trouble.]”

I acknowledge that Dannes is strong.

He was always a formidable adventurer, but after regaining his sight and becoming a Paladin, he’s significantly more powerful than he was during his adventurer days.

And having spent two years in the Realm with me, it would be strange if he weren’t strong.

Still, it is insane to try and venture down that path alone.

This kind of thing was impossible even in the game.

‘Truly impressive…’

Even though he did manage to break through the remaining path, the fact that he accomplished it alone is worthy of praise.

I was left wondering just how he did it.

Anyway…

“[How are you? Can you move?]”

“… Thank you. Saint… ”

“[My wounds heal quickly.]”

It seems with this level of injury, bleeding was unavoidable.

His abdomen and back were quite damp.

“Aria… your clothes…”

“[It’s fine. I have plenty of clothes.]”

Due to my abilities, a little treatment results in my garments being soaked with blood.

I tend to keep a stock of clothes available for these kinds of situations.

Right now, I have no place to store them, so I’ll need to wear this outfit until we return, but once we’re back, I can just wash them at the Academy.

They are surprisingly effective—so clothes stained with blood come back perfectly clean.

To the point where it feels like they might as well be new.

“Are you really okay…?”

“[What do you mean?]”

“You must be… in a lot of pain…”

Why is he asking me this kind of thing?

With everything I’ve done, wouldn’t it be strange to be bothered by just that?

No, I shouldn’t be accustomed to pain, so it’s still quite painful… or rather, it feels good.

But it’s not a significant issue.

More importantly…

“[If you’re going to say that, then shouldn’t you not get hurt in the first place, Brother Dannes?]”

I’m angry.

Worrying about me won’t change anything, so don’t worry.

Did he understand what I meant? Dannes flinched.

It looks like he genuinely said it out of concern, but the response he got was my voice filled with anger.

Not reacting wouldn’t be normal.

“… I’m sorry.”

In the end, he realized his mistake and offered an apology.

It’s too late for an apology now.

If this were an official matter, I might hint that I’d need to give Dannes a bit more of a hard time when we go back, but given the current situation—since Dannes came out secretly to fulfill my request—it’s impossible.

So, wouldn’t it be better to deliver a personal punishment?

In technical terms, it’s called “punishment.”

The punishment I impose isn’t too severe.

“[I won’t talk to you for a while, Brother Dannes.]”

From today onward, he won’t have any reason to talk to me, even a little.

He should just go away.

I don’t need a Paladin who makes me worry right after seeing him.

Dannes stood there in shock at my declaration.

It seemed he had no idea I would say anything like this.

“S-Saint… Please show mercy…”

“[That’s enough. Let’s go, Brother Evan.]”

“Uh… uh huh…”

Evan looked around at me and Dannes, a dazed expression on his face.

It seemed he was struggling to comprehend the situation.

It’s natural not to understand.

This kind of thing only connects with Paladins and Clerics of the Holy Kingdom of Valkran.

Well… that’s to be expected since most people of this kingdom are my extreme fans.

Just saying that I won’t acknowledge them anymore sends some into despair, wishing they could die.

Dannes, who once served as my Guardian Knight, would certainly be even more shocked.

He indeed looked stunned with an expression of shock on his face.

In any case, punishment is punishment.

I won’t talk to him for a while.

“[Now, let’s go fight the boss of this trial dungeon.]”

What remains is the boss.

I need to keep my wits about me.

I gave Evan another warning as I moved deeper inside.

…

Dannes doesn’t know.

It’s up to him to figure this out.