Vakran I, who had not expected anyone to be here, quickly assumed a defensive position and turned around. There, a woman sat on the ground. The basket she had been carrying had fallen to the side, and a glimmering piece of broken sword was stuck in the ground by her feet.
“What, what the hell!”
Startled by the sudden fall of a large piece of sword blade from the sky, Elena, who had been running happily, fell flat on the ground.
Even if it was just a fragment of a sword, it was thicker and longer than Elena’s forearm. It flew down and stuck in front of her, causing her to stumble backward and loosen her legs.
“What the hell are you doing!”
Elena shouted at the man who had been ignorantly striking the rock with a sword.
At a glance, he seemed too young to be a proper knight, wearing plain clothes with no decorations. The man, with his black hair tightly tied up, still stood in front of the rock and looked at her dumbfounded.
“After almost killing a person, you don’t even apologize?”
Angry Elena walked towards the man confidently, disregarding the laundry that had fallen to the ground.
“Are you insane? It’s because of you that I almost died!”
Vakran I, the man, couldn’t understand the small woman shouting at him.
Who on earth was she? With no empress, this place was essentially the emperor’s private space. How did she manage to enter?
And above all, except for the enemy knights on the battlefield who tried to kill him with a sword, no one had ever shown such anger towards him.
“Don’t you hear me? Is your ear blocked?”
“…How can I not hear when you shout like that.”
Elena was taken aback by the voice that came from the man who had kept his mouth shut.
‘S-such a nice voice?’
It was a low and rough but pleasant voice that didn’t bother her ears. Come to think of it, she hadn’t paid much attention because his roughly tied-up hair was drenched in sweat, but his face was no less impressive than his voice. No, he was very, very handsome.
Surprised by the unexpected man’s good looks, Elena stumbled for words for a moment, but she still resisted and narrowed her eyes.
“Well then, apologize! After almost killing an innocent person, what’s with this audacious attitude?”
“And who are you?”
Vakran I asked Elena, scanning her up and down. Upon closer inspection, he realized that she was wearing a robe, but she had washed it herself, and her damp sleeves were rolled up and her arms were dry. He couldn’t figure out who she was.
“No, I asked for an apology. Why are you asking my name?”
To be precise, what Vakran I inquired about was not Elena’s name, but her status and affiliation. But oblivious to that fact, Elena confidently replied, crossing her arms.
“I’m Elena. Elena, a priest.”
“Priest?”
Judging by her attire, she did look like a priest. Compared to other priests who seemed generally quiet and inconspicuous, this woman before him was clearly different.
“Yes, a priest. You almost killed a priest. Do you understand now?”
“Why did you come here?”
“I’m lost.”
“You don’t know where this place is?”
“If I knew where this was, would I be lost? Where exactly is this?”
It was evident that the woman didn’t know if this was the infirmary or who he was.
The woman was clearly unaware of whether this was the inner palace or who he was.
“This is the inner palace.”
“The inner palace? What… is this the inner palace where the Empress and the imperial family live?!”
Although it was a disrespectful attitude, it was a correct statement, so Vakran I nodded slowly.
“Ah, this is bad. No wonder there’s nobody here. Can I stay here like this? Let’s leave quickly.”
“I…”
He wanted to say, ‘I don’t need to leave; I am the owner of this place,’ but Elena, who was quite talkative, didn’t let it go.
“Oh, this is crazy. I thought it was the Palace of Dawn, but I’ve gone completely in the opposite direction.”
“The Palace of Dawn?”
The Palace of Dawn was the residence of his younger brother, Tito.
“Are you from the Palace of Dawn?”
“Me? Yes. I’m a tutor who lives there.”
A tutor? Hearing that word, Varkan I recalled a scene for a moment. It was the sight of the priest who had rushed over, waving her silver hair, treating Tito when he collapsed in front of him not long ago.
“Are you the theology tutor of Duke Levi?”
“Oh, you know me?”
Elena asked, pointing to her own face with her finger.
“Roughly.”
He knew that she was an intermediate priest who had received the Pope’s recommendation and had the rare ability to heal.
“Of course, rumors spread quickly in the palace. Let’s get out of here quickly for now. In case someone sees and catches us… What’s wrong with your hand?”
As Elena pulled Vakran I’s sleeve, she widened her eyes after seeing his palm.
His palm was torn and bleeding from swinging the sword recklessly in anger. Even though blood was dripping onto the ground, Vakran I casually took out a handkerchief and roughly wiped away the blood.
Witnessing this, Elena pondered for a moment. Should she just pretend she didn’t see it? With her healing ability, it would be possible to stop the bleeding and somewhat alleviate the pain, even if a complete recovery was beyond her capabilities. But she had just met him today, and she wasn’t as close as she was to the people from the Palace of Dawn.
The wound seemed quite deep, so after healing him, she would likely feel dizzy and weak. Considering the long walk to the Palace of Dawn, it would be easier to overlook it. However…
This time, Elena scrutinized Vakran I from head to toe. His shoes were covered in dirt, his hands had calluses and numerous scars, and his face was still sweaty.
Anyone would have to disarm themselves in the palace, and although he was holding a sword, he appeared to be a provisional knight who hadn’t officially become a knight, judging by the fact that he wasn’t wearing the attire of the knight’s order.
It seemed like he had found a secluded place and hid there to train. The way he fiercely struck the rock was not a normal training method even to someone like her who didn’t know swordsmanship. Surely, he must have been angry and frustrated.
As she thought about it, Elena couldn’t help but feel sorry for the man in front of her.
‘I guess I’m too nosy, I’m in trouble.’
Letting out a deep sigh, she reached out her hand towards Vakran I.
“That’s what happens when you train so ignorantly. Give it to me.”
The word ‘ignorant’ bothered him a little, but Vakran I complied and extended his hand. Elena took his hand and closed her eyes. A bright light enveloped Vakran I’s hand, and when the light vanished, the wounds disappeared as if they had been washed away. Vakran I was quite surprised as he touched his palm, which proved that the only thing left in that spot was the blood on his skin.
“Boy, that was tiring!”
Having healed a significant wound, Elena felt her head throbbing and sat down heavily on the ground.
“Is it okay for a priest to sit on the dirt like that?”
“I’m too exhausted from healing you. Why!”
Elena shook her head, unable to muster a loud voice.
“Then take a rest for a moment.”
Seeing Elena, who truly didn’t look well, Vakran I granted permission.
“I can’t leave now even if I want to. How far is the Palace of Dawn?”
When the subject of Palace of Dawn came up again, Vakran I suddenly became curious.
“I heard a rumor that Duke Levi doesn’t attend theology classes.”
“Did the rumor spread that far? News sure travels fast.”
Living in a book or out of it, places where people live are all the same. Elena clicked her tongue.
“But that’s all sorted out now. His Grace attends my lessons now.”
“Tito… I mean, Duke Levi?”
Vakran I quickly corrected himself. Since receiving reports that Tito refused to attend classes, he hadn’t separately asked Hugo about the situation. He thought Tito was still stubborn.
“Of course, who am I to refuse? After all, I have experience teaching kids…how long was it?”
Elena was momentarily confused, wondering if she should count the time she lived as a priest.
“How is Duke Levi… doing these days?”
The man’s sudden question made her hesitate for a moment, but soon he thought, Even if he was just an apprentice, it doesn’t matter since he joined the Imperial Knights, anyway.
“What could be different? Oh, I heard he grew a bit taller when he visited the palace yesterday.”
“Taller?”
It was welcome news that he hadn’t known for quite some time, having not seen Tito’s face in person.
“Excuse me.”
Upon hearing Elena call out, Vakran I snapped out of his reverie and raised his head.
“It seems like you’re going through a tough time. But that doesn’t mean you should torture your body like that. People like us, who start from the very bottom and work hard, should know how to take care of our bodies. After all, our bodies are our assets!”
Her small, white fist clenched tightly in front of him.
“The…very bottom?”
Vakran I sighed with his understanding of what Elena was saying.
“Well, just by looking at you, it seems like you’re a rookie knight. Am I right?”
He simply looked at Elena without affirming or denying anything. Misunderstanding his reluctance to acknowledge her as a reflection of his pride, she nodded as if knowing everything, pretending to be ignorant.
