“Haa…”
A deep sigh of relief escaped me.
The paleness of his once-pale face and bluish lips had started to regain their natural color.
Although I still needed to monitor his condition, the detoxification through my divine power had been successful.
At last, I could truly feel the significance of being a child of dawn. Never had I imagined that something I once considered a shackle, a fact that had burdened my childhood under the constant scrutiny of the priests, would become something I was so profoundly grateful for.
His golden eyes, unfocused and lost, drifted through the air before finally settling on me. As his vision became clearer, his gaze wavered violently.
A moment later, a hoarse voice escaped from his newly parted lips.
“E… tricia?”
At the sound of his voice, the tears I had been holding back came rushing out. My vision blurred as my eyes filled with an unstoppable flood of emotions.
“Edmund…!”
Before I knew it, I had wrapped my arms tightly around his neck. Edmund instinctively embraced me in return. The warmth of his large hands as they pressed against my back had never felt as special as they did at that moment.
‘Warm… He’s alive…’
I turned my head and rested my ear close to his heart. The steady, rhythmic sound of his heartbeat filled me with overwhelming relief.
“Ugh.”
At that moment, a suppressed groan escaped him. Overcome by emotion, I had accidentally pressed against his wounds without care. The bandages had been removed, leaving the torn flesh exposed.
“Are you okay?!”
Startled, I quickly pulled away and examined his face. Though his expression twisted slightly in pain, he forced a faint smile, as if to reassure me.
“Calm yourself. I am fine.”
His voice was dry and cracked but carried the same gentle and composed tone as always.
Hearing him speak like that made my heart ache even more.
Edmund reached out and gently wiped away my tears. His touch was slow and tender, as if he were memorizing the contours of my face.
“Edmund, thank you for waking up. You have no idea how terrified I was that you might never open your eyes again.”
“I would never leave you behind.”
Despite having been unconscious just moments ago.
I gave him a playful glare but couldn’t help letting out a soft laugh. At that moment, the tears welling in my eyes spilled over once more.
When he attempted to sit up, I quickly pressed against his chest to keep him down.
“…The miasma was only recently expelled. Don’t push yourself. You must be in pain.”
“I feel no pain, but you… You would not have endured it. I am only relieved that you are unharmed.”
“…Ugh.”
A sudden surge of anger bubbled up within me, and I barely restrained myself from scolding him. Did that mean it was okay for him to be hurt?
Until now, I had been too focused on saving him, too overwhelmed by emotion when he first woke up. But his words suddenly brought me back to reality, like a splash of cold water.
At that moment—thud—the magic stone I had been holding slipped from my grasp and landed on his thigh.
His gaze naturally followed the movement.
His eyes flickered slightly as he stared at the stone.
“A magic stone?”
He clenched and unclenched his fist several times, a look of confusion crossing his face.
“Now that I think about it, the excruciating pain that felt like my entire body was burning… It’s gone. How did you manage to detoxify me?”
Though his question was sincere, there was a hint of unease in his voice.
Edmund knew all too well how difficult it was to purge the miasma of a monster. In fact, he knew it better than anyone—that was why he had taken the blow in my place.
After all, he was a knight who had fought tirelessly in the battlefield of the Zeder Forest, where monsters roamed like the wind. Most knights who had been poisoned by monster blood had either died or lost their limbs.
And yet, I, with no real combat experience, had foolishly believed that divine power alone could purify him.
“Etricia?”
Lost in thought, I met Edmund’s gaze. His eyes urged me to answer. I bit my lip.
With Lova’s permission, I could tell Edmund the truth—that I was a child of dawn with the power of ‘Purification.’ But I hesitated.
Who would be happy to hear that their life was saved at the cost of their loved one’s vitality? And if I told him that my power had been exposed to Lova, making it likely that I would be summoned repeatedly in the future, he might fly into a rage and insist on silencing them permanently.
But I couldn’t lie to him like I had with the others.
Even Tale had sensed something was off.
After much deliberation, I told him everything. His expression gradually contorted, and a pained groan escaped him.
He wiped his face, which was now marred with guilt, before suddenly hardening with resolve. Then, without hesitation, he stood up and reached for his sword.
Alarmed, I quickly spread my arms and blocked his path.
“Where do you think you’re going in that condition?”
Edmund froze, his eyes fixed on the door.
“Move aside. I’ll make sure that bastard never speaks again.”
“I already made a deal with Lova. We agreed not to make this public for the time being.”
“And? What happens to you?”
His voice was low and dangerous as he looked down at me. It wasn’t a question—he already knew the answer. That I would be bound to the temple, my freedom stripped away, used as a tool.
His smoldering eyes were filled with resentment—toward himself and toward the temple.
“This was inevitable, so don’t blame yourself. Just as you chose to save me, I made my own choice.”
“Do you think there’s a single sane person in this world who would willingly take the life of the person they love to save themselves?”
So, he thought it was wrong? His words stoked the flames of my anger.
I had a plan. I had intended to endure the summons a few times, using my status as a sacred figure to maintain leverage. After all, the ‘Purification’ ability contradicted the very teachings of the temple.
But the moment I saw him prepare to sacrifice someone for my sake, all my emotions burst forth.
“Etricia.”
I glared at him through teary eyes before storming out of the room, slamming the door behind me.
His voice called out to me from beyond the door, but I didn’t answer. Instead, I walked down the hall without looking back.
For once, I refused to suppress my emotions.
Two days had passed, and it was now dinner time.
I was chewing chunks of beef that felt as rubbery and tough as tire pieces. Of course, the meat was actually tender, practically melting the moment I bit into it—my mood was the problem.
After Edmund woke up, I left the room and shared the news with everyone. But the joy was short-lived.
Lilien, who had sobbed in joy as she hugged him; the twins, who clung to each other in celebration; and even the servants who had wiped away tears in secret—all of them now watched us with nervous glances.
Even though the master of the house was making a ghost-like, miraculous recovery, the atmosphere was as somber as a mourning house.
Staring at Lilien across the table with dull eyes, I said:
“Lilien, I know this is a bit much, but could you tell the person next to you that they’re staring at me like they’re trying to burn a hole through my face, and maybe they should just focus on eating?”
“Y-Yes?”
When she looked flustered, I gave her a bright, playful smile, and she nodded without thinking.
Leaning to the side, Lilien whispered:
“E-Edmund… She says you’re making her uncomfortable, so please stop glaring and just eat…”
It came out slightly off, but the meaning was clear enough.
Sigh. Then I heard Edmund let out a deep sigh.
“Lilien? Could you tell her I’m the one who should be sighing right now?”
“Y-Yes, sir…”
Lilien’s eyes wandered nervously like a puppy’s before she carefully whispered again:
“Edmund, she says you’re being noisy, so maybe stop sighing—Eek!”
Suddenly, Edmund stood up, strode over, turned my chair around, and knelt on one knee in front of me.
Then he gently held my chin so I couldn’t turn away.
“Etricia, I know you’re angry. But not even looking me in the eye? Are you trying to kill me with guilt?”
His voice was rough—clearly emotional.
His face twisted in frustration, and his eyes looked up at me as if he was completely helpless. It was like watching a scolded puppy whining for forgiveness. For a moment, my heart softened… but no. This time, I had to make things clear.
I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms.
“Do you know why I’m angry?”
Edmund’s eyes flicked around the room. It seemed he couldn’t say anything about the purification power with others listening.
‘Does he think I’m mad because he used his purification power? Oh, this hopeless younger man.’
Unfortunately, that wasn’t why I was angry at all.
I pushed my chair back and stood up.
“Try thinking about it again.”
I placed my napkin on the table and glanced sideways at him before leaving the dining room. I could feel his dazed, confused stare on the back of my head.
