“Are you okay?”
Arthur cupped Shekina’s cheek with a worried expression.
“You seem to have lost some weight in just a few days…”
Though anyone could see her cheeks were still plump, Arthur seemed to think she looked gaunt.
“This won’t do. Let’s go out and get something to eat. The only thing in this temple is stale bread.”
“S-Stale…?”
Leaving behind a slightly shocked Yuriel, Arthur took Shekina’s hand.
“Shall we go?”
Shekina shook her head.
“No, I already ate.”
Even so, she didn’t let go of Arthur’s hand. After witnessing the bizarre actions of the demons earlier, seeing Arthur again put her at ease.
“You’re the only one I can trust… So much has happened, I’m really exhausted.”
“Why? What happened?”
“Nothing… It’s just… everything feels like a mess…”
“What?!”
“Anyway, I’m fine now. But I’d like to hear more about something.”
“Are you really okay?”
“Yeah. Other than feeling frustrated, wanting to flip everything over, and punch someone, I’m fine.”
“…That doesn’t sound fine at all.”
Arthur was still uneasy, but Shekina chose not to dwell on the topic any further. Instead, she pulled Arthur’s hand and had him sit down.
“More importantly, I’d like to ask you something.”
“Go ahead.”
“The Pope… What’s that all about?”
Shekina sat down in the chair Dehan had brought and asked.
“It’s exactly what it sounds like. Now that the Northern Holy Temple is under our control, we might as well use it.”
“Hmm.”
Shekina glanced around the temple. Priests stood around in a daze, their eyes half-lidded—likely under Arthur’s magic.
“The Pope is chosen based on their divine power, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. That’s why Yuriel is the best candidate.”
Did Yuriel really possess such immense divine power? He had been portrayed as a strong ally of Dehan in the game, but… was he really that powerful? Shekina tilted her head in doubt.
“Oh, don’t worry about it. Like I said, since the Northern Holy Temple is ours, we should take advantage of that.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Shekina sipped the drink Dehan had given her as she asked.
“We’ll extract divine power from those humans.”
“Aha. Extracting divine power… Is that even possible?!”
Shekina was startled, but Arthur just smiled.
“I don’t challenge things that are impossible.”
“Oh my god…”
Shekina covered her mouth in awe.
“You’re really the best. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be sick in bed from sheer frustration.”
“Keep praising me.”
“Arthur is the best. Arthur is the coolest. Arthur is the greatest in the world.”
“Hehehe.”
Arthur shrugged, clearly pleased.
“But I’m not the only one, you know.”
“Huh?”
“There’s also Dehan. You seem to get along with him pretty well.”
“Me? No way.”
Arthur wrinkled his nose and smirked. Then, he subtly glanced behind Shekina and gestured toward Dehan.
“You’re sitting in a chair Dehan brought, and you’re drinking something he gave you. It was so natural that I thought you had ordered him to do it.”
“…Huh?”
Only then did Shekina realize how attentive Dehan had been. Her eyes widened.
“What the heck? I didn’t even notice. How did he know exactly what I wanted?”
“Because he’s always watching over you.”
Dehan curved his lips into a small smile and replied,
“My role is to make sure you’re never in an uncomfortable situation, Lady Shekina.”
“…..….”
Shekina suddenly felt a little self-conscious. She glanced at Dehan again—he was still smiling with that same handsome face. Somehow, his expression seemed softer than in her past life… or maybe she was just imagining it? She scratched her cheek.
“Well… Thanks. But don’t do everything for me.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“Because if you do, I’ll become too dependent on you.”
“But I’ll always be by your side, Lady Shekina.”
Dehan said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“There will never be a time when I’m not by your side.”
“………”
Shekina was left speechless, her mouth opening and closing wordlessly. What was this? Some kind of indirect confession?
Her cheeks flushed slightly.
“Dehan really likes Shekina, huh?”
“Ah, why would you say that?!”
Shekina shouted as if trying to dismiss the idea, but her face turned even redder. She felt an inexplicable sense of embarrassment.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
But Dehan showed no shame.
“I like her very much.”
That’s why he could express his affection so confidently.
Dehan’s blue eyes were as pure and clear as the sky—completely free of any impurity. And in those eyes, there was only Shekina. It was as if nothing else in the world existed for him besides her.
His gaze was unwavering, and because of that, it overflowed with sincerity. Even a passing dog could tell what he felt.
Shekina slowly lowered her gaze.
“Well, I am your master, so of course you should like me.”
“No, that’s not what I meant—”
“Enough! Stop talking!”
Right now, Shekina couldn’t fully accept Dehan’s feelings.
She knew that he was different from his past self, but still… there was something about it.
After all, it was Dehan’s presence that brought her into this game world. And it was Dehan’s presence that led to her death in her past life. That lingering pain was still buried deep inside her.
No matter what, she couldn’t shake the thought that if Dehan liked her, she would eventually die again.
‘I’m trying so hard to avoid that…’
Shekina forced a bitter smile and turned back to Arthur.
“So, you’re planning to go to the capital with Yuriel?”
Arthur, slightly taken aback by her strong reaction earlier, quickly regained his composure and answered.
“Yes. Once Yuriel is ready.”
“I-I’m… a-almost r-ready!”
“Really? Then we can leave as soon as tomorrow.”
Arthur smiled warmly at Yuriel, who had clenched his fists with determination, then turned to Shekina.
“Would you like to come with us?”
“Me?”
“Yes, you, Shekina.”
“Hmm.”
Shekina let out a small hum and tilted her head slightly.
“I don’t mind going, but why the sudden invitation?”
“Because I think it’d be nice to have you with us.”
Arthur answered immediately.
“And I feel more at ease when you’re around.”
“What the heck? Why are you saying something so embarrassing?”
Shekina squinted her eyes slightly, murmuring as if flustered.
“And besides, you need to go to the capital anyway, Shekina.”
“Huh?”
“The prince.”
Arthur was referring to Benita—the one who had caused a disturbance in the north before Shekina had chosen to ‘skip’ dealing with him.
Why was he being brought up all of a sudden?
She had completely forgotten about him…
“He sent word asking you to visit soon. Didn’t you hear?”
Damn.
A sinking feeling settled in Shekina’s chest. This was going to be troublesome.
***
Imperial Palace, Training Grounds of the Annex
Clang! Clang!
The sharp sound of clashing swords echoed through the air.
Dozens of knights were training simultaneously, their blades meeting in fierce combat. The ground beneath them was soaked with sweat from the intense drills that had been ongoing since dawn.
Among them, one figure stood out—a young boy with light blue hair. Despite his fair skin and delicate appearance, his eyes burned with fierce determination.
Though his skills were not as refined as the other knights, his unwavering focus and deadly aura made up for the gap. He swung his sword relentlessly, as if lost in time, forgetting even who he was.
Then—
“Your Highness!”
Someone burst into the training grounds.
“Your Highness! Your Highness!”
Only then did the boy slowly lower his sword. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he turned to face the messenger.
“A reply has come from the Daimon County!”
The boy’s name was Benita.
The empire’s sole heir—
“Did she say she’s coming?”
And the one who had been desperately waiting to see Shekina again.
“Finally…!”
A bright grin spread across Benita’s face as he clenched his fist tightly.
