5. Bread and Dagger (11)
The elf’s treatment went smoothly.
It was a saintess who had dealt with countless serious injuries. At the very least, his nose would have collapsed and his arm would have been smashed to the extent that he would not even be able to laugh.
Especially since recently, he has almost become the priest in charge of me.
Thinking back on it, I felt sorry for the saintess.
Not only did he follow me every time and make a great achievement, but he also rescued me from the threshold of death several times. No matter how much I thanked her, it wasn’t enough.
For a while, I silently watched the saintess who was absorbed in the treatment of the elves. Perhaps because of my mood, the saintess’s face, which I hadn’t seen in two days, looked emaciated.
Before I knew it, a man with a delicate impression approached me.
It was the saintess’ escort knight, Yuren.
He made a face under his undercoat and poked my forearm with his elbow.
“Ian, what did you say to your sister?”
“… … No, what?”
Wasn’t that the person you were talking to just a moment ago?
If I had done anything wrong, the saintess would not have been able to come out like that.
It wasn’t that Yuren didn’t know this, but Yuren’s expression toward me was still very confused.
Rarely did he show a moment of hesitation.
Should I tell you what I know, and how?
After hesitating for a while, a sigh escaped from his mouth.
His hand scratched the back of my head annoyedly. It was right after that that the direct question was thrown.
“Then why is my sister crying every night these days?”
“The saintess is crying?”
The only thing I could return to Yuren’s question was another question.
A saintess sheds tears every night?
It was the first time, and it was questionable whether there was a means to make the proud woman so weak.
I looked at Yuren with eyes that I didn’t know why.
Then, Yuren only let out another sigh.
“Ian, think carefully… Is your sister the only reason for that?”
It was Yuren’s persuasion that continued.
At this point, I couldn’t just ignore Yuren’s opinion.
No matter what anyone says, the person who knows the saintess best is Yuren.
And it wasn’t that there wasn’t anything that bothered me.
Not too long ago, when I ran into a saintess with senior Elsie, she left me ready to shed tears.
Are you still haunted by the memories of that time?
As I swallowed my saliva and immersed myself in agony, Yuren spoke in a pleading tone.
“Ian, please do well… Imagine that your immediate supervisor is low pressure all day. Do you know how terrible it is?”
“… … Is it my fault?”
“Then is it my fault?”
My timid resistance was immediately destroyed by Yuren’s earnest objection.
Even if he wanted to refute, Yuren’s momentum was not easy. He sincerely seemed to think that I was the solution to stop the saintess’ tears.
Yuren smiled bitterly and tapped me on the shoulder a couple of times.
I meant to ask you well.
“Anyway, have a good talk. My sister must be anxious in many ways too, since she has the position of being a saint of the Celestial Church… … .”
After those words, Yuren took a brisk walk.
The saintess who was taking care of the elf was about to leave the treatment room. It was clear that he intended to create an opportunity for the two of them to have a conversation.
I hesitated for a moment, but in the end I didn’t leave.
Anyway, there were many things to share with the saintess.
If the opportunity arises, it wouldn’t be bad to accept Yuren’s request.
To be honest, the saintess kept stepping on my eyes.
I still can’t forget the look on that day when he glared at me with watery eyes.
Those eyes that looked resentful, sad, and miserable.
In any case, I was just one of the many, many men.
Even though she knew her true nature, she was particularly weak to the saintess.
While I let out a small sigh, the saintess approached me with a tired expression.
The treatment was a delicate task and required a high degree of concentration.
No matter how short the time was, the mental strength could not be exhausted. Especially since it was an emergency patient who appeared out of nowhere.
Feeling more sorry for nothing, I coughed.
Regardless, the saintess just glared at me with sullen eyes.
“… … I would like you to explain the situation sooner rather than later.”
It was a reasonable request for a saintess.
It wasn’t enough that he received a patient while he was taking a break, and that patient was not even a human, but an elf. No one can stand without asking questions.
I also had no intention of hiding it from the saintess.
At the same time as I made my decision, many words came out of my mouth.
Many of them had nothing to do with elves.
Starting with the fifth ‘love letter from the future’, ‘I’ from the future, Seria and Celine’s training, and the fact that I visited Emma and dealt with Avian.
I told you all the ups and downs.
The saintess just listened in silence to the long words.
No matter how long my story got, there was no law to stop me.
It was fortunate. For now, I think I’m interested.
In fact, there was a separate reason for me to divulge even seemingly unnecessary information.
It was because the existence of the saintess was indispensable for the future journey.
The main reason why I and the others were able to stay safe was the saintess.
Without her, there was a good chance I would have died long ago. In addition, the range of operations that could be performed would have narrowed.
The existence of a competent priest was just as important.
It meant that it was no different from an extra life in itself, and that even if there were injuries, the loss of power could be minimized.
So, I had no choice but to tell the saintess about everything.
In order to seek help, it was customary to reveal the whole story of the matter first.
As much as the saintess was needed, I wanted to show her the proper courtesy.
Also, isn’t the saintess the owner of a clear brain?
She was a woman with thick bones in the political arena of the Seongguk. I wouldn’t be surprised if he pointed out something I’d been missing all along.
And the fact that my prediction was not wrong was soon proved.
The saintess listened to me with her eyes closed for a while, then let out a light moan.
A look of bewilderment was evident in her eyes, which soon opened.
“The North and the elves… … .”
“Do you know anything?”
At my words, the saintess shook her head quietly.
However, unlike that gesture, new information flowed from the saintess’ mouth.
“There is no one except for the enemies who visited in the past to comfort the soldiers. It’s just a little strange.”
The saintess patted her lips with her index finger and fell into agony.
For a moment, I thought that those lips were very attractive, but I deliberately hid it.
It was only a matter of teasing.
Fortunately, it didn’t take long for the saintess to come up with an answer.
“The elves I saw back then were generally hostile, but at the same time they were afraid of humans. Especially those who regard life as part of nature cherish it.”
Hearing that quiet voice, I remembered the battle with Avian.
The look in Avian’s eyes as he rushed at me with his teeth gritted, even looked resolute.
A terrifying hostility that said it would be okay to die fighting.
It was a feeling that didn’t go well with an elf.
At least according to the saintess’ testimony, it was so.
“But Avian… … .”
“Avian? Ah, that elf… Anyway, that’s why it’s so strange. Only elves with strong hostility towards humanity can become spies.”
That, too, was a valid hypothesis.
They were the ones who would live in human society for years to decades. In order not to assimilate to humanity, the hostility must be that strong.
But strangely, Avian’s cry kept getting stuck in my mind.
‘… … All humans are the same.’
That one word he spat out was never learned.
It was close to vomiting out the emotions he felt desperately in words.
Avian said he had been doing business here for over 10 years.
I wonder if there were many times when I was hurt by humans during that long time. If not, is there another reason?
It was an unknown issue at this time.
As I swallowed my saliva again and lost my thoughts, the saintess secretly looked at me.
Realizing that gaze, I met the eyes of the saintess.
It meant why.
Then, the saintess hesitated and looked around, then lowered her voice and asked me.
“……That elf, what are you going to do?”
What did you say?
On the contrary, I asked the saintess with a blank smile.
“What would you like the saintess to do?”
“That, that’s what…”
The saintess hesitated and glanced at my complexion. It seemed that there was a different treatment he wanted.
She said to me with a determined look on her face.
“You’re too young!”
“I must have been a spy for more than 10 years.”
“Still, by the standards of the elves, you’re just an adult… If you get caught by the Imperial Intelligence Service for no reason, that’s…”
It was her request.
She was originally a saint with strong sympathy for the weak. Moreover, as an orphan, she was particularly vulnerable to children.
So I can’t help but feel sorry for the little elf who is destined to be sent to the Imperial Intelligence Service.
The words of the elf captured by the Imperial Intelligence Service were obvious.
At best, they will be imprisoned, usually tortured, and die with information extracted.
However, it was not something that even a saintess could strongly demand.
The place where the war with the elves was in full swing was the territory of the empire. It was therefore largely up to the Empire to determine the treatment of elven spies.
Reporting the existence of elves to the Imperial Secret Service did not allow the saintess of the Holy Land to raise objections.
Of course, I also had no intention of concealing Avian’s existence from the Imperial Intelligence Service.
It was like not being able to differentiate between public and private.
Even so, I decided to grant the saintess’ request.
“Don’t worry, I don’t mean to hurt you.”
“Gee, really?!”
As if she had heard the unexpected words, the saintess was startled and cried out.
Her face brightened in an instant.
The expression dazzlingly beautiful was a word used in such a situation.
I slightly averted my gaze at the saintess’ bright smile. The more I watched, the more I felt like I couldn’t control my pounding heart.
“Yes, really… Instead, I would like to report to the imperial family, and let Avian be monitored. I also need to hear about the elves’ movements.”
As if that alone was thrilling, the saintess grabbed my hand with both hands.
She was excited and even provoked me.
“Thank you all… You thought of it very well, Ian. Do you want to touch my chest?”
This lady is screaming for a big day.
Hearing the saintess’ provocation, I deliberately put on a solemn expression.
It wasn’t a word to throw at a man who was outside, even as a joke. I was planning to make this clear on this occasion.
Yeah, that’s what I was thinking.
“……Really?”
The answer that came out of my mouth was completely different when I saw the holy woman’s holy power bag emitting a heavy presence in front of me.
Even though I asked it inadvertently, I wanted to regret it. He realized that he had fallen for the trick of the saintess he had hoped for.
However, it was already too late, so the saintess gave a bewitching eye smile.
“Ummm, no? I’ve changed my mind… I could really touch you if you just give me an answer instead.”
It was then that the saintess’ body pressed against me.
As I felt the soft elasticity, the saintess’s sweet body shook my brain. I was suffocated and forgot what to say.
It was only the saintess’s breath that touched the nape of my neck tickled me.
The saintess’ pale pink eyes passed by tickling her chest. Soon, the saintess’ gentle question flew into my ears.
“……That love letter, who did it come from?”
For a moment, I couldn’t understand the question and lost my mind.
What is a ‘love letter’? out of the blue?
However, the moment he met eyes with the saintess again.
I finally had no choice but to keep my mouth shut.
The shadows had disappeared from the saintess’s pupils before she knew it.
Then, in a terribly cold voice, one more word.
“Who are you?”
I felt a cold sweat running down my face.
Why is the genre suddenly changing?