Pain. It was a shattering pain, as if her limbs had been torn apart and crudely pieced back together.
On the sickbed, Lovene had barely opened her eyes, and before she could even make out the cracks in the ceiling, she grimaced and cast a burst of Holy Light on herself.
The golden glow merged into her body, and in an instant, the wounds that had yet to fully heal and the dull ache buried deep within her bones vanished without a trace.
Lying in bed, she took a few deep breaths, sinking her consciousness deep into her soul to sense the mana swirling around the Heart of the Saintess.
Rank Two mid stage.
She couldn't help but curl her lips into a satisfied smile, looking like a cat that had successfully stolen a fish, licking its paws while plotting where to find its next meal.
Shielding Vera from the tentacle's attack? Near death?
That was nothing more than her acting.
No, it wasn't exactly acting. More accurately, it was a tactical maneuver.
Walking into Vera's clinic on that rainy day had never been a coincidence; she had carefully calculated the timing before stepping through that door.
She just hadn't decided on her exact approach yet. Reaching Vera was her goal, but she hadn't found the right script to make Vera feel heartache for her.
But later, Vera had handed her the script on a silver platter.
The paranoid terror Vera displayed in the clinic had guided Lovene in a direction she hadn't even anticipated.
She had opened the clinic door and summoned the tentacle from the mist.
When Lovene took that blow for Vera, many of her bones indeed shattered. That pain was not faked; it was an excruciating agony that threatened to turn her vision black.
Anyone with a weaker will would have blacked out on the spot.
Yet, at the moment she collapsed, the thought flashing through her mind wasn't “it hurts,” but rather, that her opportunity had arrived.
She had cast Holy Light on herself, but only healed half of it. The shattered bones were put back in place and the ruptured blood vessels reconnected, but she deliberately left the bleeding lacerations alone.
Because she needed Vera to see that blood.
She needed Vera's hands pressing against her wounds, feeling the thick warmth seeping through her fingers. She needed Vera to remember the laboring mother who died on that rainy night, to remember the life she had failed to save.
Only guilt of that magnitude could brew the most intense heartache.
Just as expected, when Vera held her, that emotion was as thick as unresolvable honey, pouring into her Heart of the Saintess and filling every crack in the depths of her soul.
All that guilt, self-blame, and heartache transformed into the purest nourishment, flooding into her body and frantically driving up her mana.
Still... when her bones shattered, it had truly hurt.
It hurt so much that she never wanted to experience it again.
But looking back now, it was all worth it.
Rank Two mid stage.
This meant that even if she betrayed the church in the future and they sent Rank Three knights to hunt her down, she would have the ability to protect herself.
She might not be able to defeat them, but she could escape.
Of course, the Church of the Morning Light would not just send Rank Three knights after her. The people under the Pope were none of them easy to deal with.
But a journey is made one step at a time. Since she could reach Rank Two mid stage today, she would naturally be able to climb higher mountains in the future.
One day, she would break free from the shackles of the church and gain true freedom!
The ward door was left ajar. Just as Lovene began to fantasize about her wonderful future, the door was pushed open, and Mia, clad in silver-white light armor, stepped inside.
Seeing Lovene with her eyes open, Mia's footsteps came to a sudden halt.
“Your Highness, you are awake?”
Lovene's gaze fell upon her face.
Although her body had fully recovered, she still had to feign weakness.
With this in mind, she shallowly drew her breath, her lips remaining pale.
“Mia, how is the situation?”
Mia walked over. Instead of answering immediately, she leaned down and touched the back of her hand to Lovene's forehead to confirm her temperature was normal. Then she stood up straight, her gaze sweeping over the bandages wrapping Lovene's body.
“The broken bones have healed, and Vera has treated the bleeding wounds, so you should be fine. But Your Highness, you must have cast Holy Light magic on yourself after waking up, correct?”
Mia had checked; the scent of blood on Lovene had faded significantly, and the skin beneath the bandages had already healed to its original state. Unsurprisingly, Lovene had treated herself.
Lovene's brow twitched imperceptibly.
Did she not know her own condition? She wasn't asking about herself!
Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Mia extended an index finger, gently pressing it against her lips.
Aside from a mysterious floral scent, that finger also carried a faint herbal aroma. Unsurprisingly, Mia must have been rummaging through the clinic's herbs during this time.
Mia kept her finger pressed against Lovene's lips, looking down at her. In those blood-red eyes was something Lovene rarely saw—a stubbornness she couldn't quite comprehend.
“But the only thing I want to tell you is about your own condition.”
Lovene blinked.
She tilted her head slightly to avoid Mia's finger, her voice laced with a soft, raspy blend of helplessness and confusion. “Mia, you...”
Mia did not let her finish. She withdrew her finger, leaned down, and placed her hands on either side of the bed frame, looming over Lovene and casting her entirely in shadow.
She was so close that Lovene could see the tiny droplets of water clinging to the tips of her eyelashes.
“Your Highness, the one you should care about is not them, but yourself. After all, you possess a healing magic like Holy Light. As long as you are alive, you can save countless suffering patients.”
Her gaze dropped to the bandages around Lovene's waist.
“But if you die, everything will turn to ash. Do you have the heart to make so many people who believe in you, worship you, and long for your healing feel sad?”
“Throwing away your own life for the sake of one person is an act of selfishness.”
Leaning against the headboard, Lovene stared at Mia's face, which was inches away, carefully meeting her gaze.
There was no anger in Mia's eyes, only a deep worry that she didn't know how to voice.
Lovene smiled inwardly.
She knew Mia was worried about her, and she knew she had a place in Mia's heart.
But what amused her was... this person always talked tough in front of her.
Even though she was clearly so worried that she could barely sleep, she still wore a stiff face, insisting on adopting a cold stance of “I am simply stating facts.”
Even in their daily interactions, she intentionally kept her distance, terrified of any physical contact.
Heh.
Let's see me tear down your facade!
Lovene blinked, her eyelashes drooping slightly, her voice tinged with just the right amount of grievance. “Selfish? Mia, are you... lecturing me?”
She tilted her head, her profile appearing exceptionally soft in the dim light. The white edges of the bandages blended almost seamlessly with her pale skin, and her weak, fragile eyes shimmered with a hint of tears.
At this moment, she looked incredibly pitiful.
Rate on N.U.
