“Nice to meet you, Duchess.”
A middle-aged man in priestly robes bowed deeply, nearly touching the ground. Laila, surprised, reflexively bowed as well.
A confrontation unfolded. Sion intervened.
“Both of you, that’s enough now.”
“Duchess, please end the greeting first.”
“Oh, no. The priest should…”
“I’ll count to three, so both of you can lift your heads together. One, two, three.”
Laila and the middle-aged priest raised their heads together. As soon as Laila straightened her back, she noticed Sion quickly avert her gaze.
His shoulders were subtly trembling… Could it be…?
“Are you laughing?”
“No.”
“Look at me and say that.”
Sion slowly looked back at Laila. His mouth was tightly shut, but his lips were trembling slightly.
“Just laugh. Who’s stopping you from laughing?”
As soon as permission was given, Sion burst into laughter. Laila, astonished, looked up at Sion and then quickly turned her head. Her heart raced a bit faster.
Laila’s gaze met the middle-aged priest’s. The priest spoke.
“I am Hollei. I serve the Celestial God in the Kingdom of Del.”
“The Kingdom of Del…”
Laila recalled a map in her mind and quietly remarked.
“You’ve come from afar.”
“Haha, if you hurry, it won’t even take a month.”
“Why did you come personally?”
Sion blurted out as he looked at the priest, who introduced himself as Hollei.
“You could have sent it through a guild.”
“Are you joking? How could I trust this to someone else? This is priceless…”
“Because you made it.”
“If we’re talking about value, that’s true! It’s something that might be worth a fortune.”
“Something?”
Hollei turned his gaze from Sion to Laila again.
“Actually, before the hero left the temple to confront the evil god, he asked us to prepare this. It’s this…”
Hollei pulled out a silk cloth from his robe. The cloth was used for wrapping something, and what was revealed was a bracelet.
“It’s a bracelet imbued with the power of the Celestial God. Specifically, it has the energy of the priests inscribed in it…”
Hollei offered the bracelet to Laila with a respectful gesture.
Laila, somewhat stunned, accepted the bracelet. Hollei continued his explanation.
“Until the bracelet breaks, it will protect you from external shocks.”
“Pardon?”
“Any physical shock of a certain intensity will not reach you. Oh, it can also block magic.”
“…”
“However, be cautious of poison. It doesn’t have a detoxification function…”
“You didn’t manage to add that after all?”
“Yes, we couldn’t. Dozens of priests were injured, and we still couldn’t add it.”
“Hm…”
“Hero! Please stop! Do you know how extraordinary the bracelet I handed over is? Once its existence becomes known, the king of the entire country will cause a commotion asking to buy it!”
“I understand. How many years can the bracelet last?”
“…If all goes well, it should last at least ten years, as long as you don’t go to war.”
“If she goes to war?”
“Why would the duchess go to war?”
“Anyway, if she goes?”
“Hmm… It should still last five years.”
“I’ll contact you in five years.”
“Oh, really.”
Laila quietly listened to Sion and Hollei’s conversation before looking down at the bracelet in her hand.
To think that this bracelet will protect me…
As Laila had this thought, Hollei spoke as if he could read her mind.
“It’s a protective bracelet. Please take good care of it.”
“…Thank you.”
“It also contains some of my own effort. I used to have a better physique than this…”
“Stop boasting.”
Sion cut off Hollei’s words abruptly.
“Are you going to stay at the castle while you’re here?”
“Of course! I’ll rest well and then return.”
“Alright, then.”
On the day of the Duke Axid’s wedding.
Laila, now the Duchess of Axid, received a bracelet more precious than the jeweled gifts, and the Duchy of Axid gained a temporary resident.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Hollei was quite active. During his stay at the residence, he toured every corner of the castle every day.
Naturally, it was common for others to run into Hollei as well.
“Priest.”
“You can call me Hollei comfortably.”
“No, I prefer calling you Priest. Or should I call you Mr. Hollei instead?”
“Ah, if that’s the case, I’ll stick with Priest.…”
Hollei, who had been speaking to Laila, suddenly fell silent and began to scrutinize her.
“Is something wrong?”
“…No.”
Hollei tilted his head slightly, then offered a standard farewell and moved away from Laila.
Afterward, Laila frequently ran into Hollei.
When the same coincidence happened several times, Laila realized that it wasn’t just a chance.
“…Priest, is there something you need to tell me?”
“No.”
Despite the denial, Hollei continued to linger around Laila as before.
Two weeks later.
On the day he was to leave the Duchy of Axid, Hollei finally spoke to Laila.
“Please see a doctor. It would be best to consult several doctors.”
“Huh?”
Laila’s eyes widened in confusion.
“Do you…sense any illness in me?”
“Not exactly…”
Hollei, who had been observing Laila closely, turned to Sion.
“Anyway, you heard me, right? Call for a renowned doctor.”
“…What’s the reason?”
“If I must give a reason, it’s that I have a bad feeling. That’s all there is to it.”
But remember that I serve God. My intuition is quite sharp. Hollei added. Sion gave a slight nod.
A while later, the carriage carrying Hollei departed. Sion stared at Laila with a furrowed brow.
“Let’s go to Owen first.”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Owen was the name of a doctor working at the Duke of Axid’s residence.
Fortunately, Owen was a female doctor, and she spent two full hours thoroughly examining Laila before providing her diagnosis.
“You are in good health.”
Laila let out a sigh of relief and then straightened her shoulders as if to say she had never been worried.
“See, I told you there wouldn’t be any problems.”
“You’ve only been examined by one person so far.”
“Do you doubt Owen’s skills?”
Sion shook his head.
“I trust Hollei.”
“…”
“Several more doctors will arrive within a few days. When they come, get examined.”
“…Alright.”
Laila responded obediently. Sion’s still-furrowed brow bothered her.
She debated whether to press her hand against his brow but decided against it.
If Sion were to pull away from her hand, she would not be able to keep her expression in check.
The tenth doctor from outside arrived at the residence. Laila received her eleventh examination.
“The Duchess shows no abnormalities in her health.”
“How do you feel now? Are you relieved?”
“…Yes.”
There’s a saying that even monkeys fall from trees. Laila envisioned Hollei as a monkey and suppressed a smile.
…The monkey did not fall from the tree.
“Whoa! Madam!”
“Owen! Call Owen!”
“Someone get a warm towel…”
She was walking down the hallway when a sudden cough came on. Laila stopped and covered her mouth as she coughed.
Her throat felt strangely hot as she coughed. Then, her hands felt damp.
She removed her hand from her mouth and checked her palm.
Her palm was completely red.
The maids, seeing Laila standing dazed in the hallway, started to panic.
Soon, Laila staggered and collapsed.
- Lala
“If you buy me a drink, I’ll tell you how to become incredibly wealthy right away.”
A man who was holding a beer glass to his lips in front of a wooden table in a tavern glanced at the person who approached him.
The man then took his beer mug from his mouth and shouted.
“Another pint of stout over here!”
“Thank you.”
“I’m the one drinking it.”
“Oh, come on.”
Contrary to his words, the man pushed the beer the server had brought towards the person approaching him.
“Ha, really appreciate it.”
“Now, tell me. What’s the way to become incredibly wealthy?”
“It’s to cure the Duchess of Axid.”
