31.
I barely managed to pull myself together and continued speaking.
“……At any rate, don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.”
“Tell them what?”
“The things you just told me honestly.”
Prien looked startled for a moment.
Soon, a gentle smile spread across his face.
“……Thank you.”
“If I heard it, it’s only natural that I take responsibility.”
At the words I tossed out casually, Prien fell silent.
Then he began staring intently at me.
Unable to bear it, I said,
“……Stop staring and eat.”
Fortunately, Prien obediently looked away and picked up his utensils.
Only after I let out a breath did it occur to me.
Come to think of it, where’s Jaka?
He said he was bringing my crutch, but he still hasn’t come back.
Even by the time the servants came in and cleared away the entire meal, Jaka had not appeared.
Tea was naturally prepared and brought out.
“By the way, is it truly not allowed?”
“What is?”
Prien extended his hand over the table, palm facing up.
It was a slender, long hand, fine yet with prominent knuckles that made it look hard.
And I think it had actually been a little hard, too.
“Divine power. You like it, don’t you?”
“…….”
So he knew.
My face grew a little hot.
“……I looked that up too, and everyone said it makes them feel cozy and warm. It’s not just me being strange.”
Of course, I hadn’t seen anyone who melted into a puddle like me and had weird thoughts about whether or not someone had a halo shining behind them.
“Yes, I know.”
“…….”
“More importantly, wounds may heal with time, but lingering aftereffects are another matter. If you don’t mind……”
In the end, I held out my hand to him.
When I laid my hand over his palm, he looked at me briefly, as if smiling and yet not.
He gently clasped my hand. A faint light began to spread from his hand.
It was a warm, soft sensation.
At the comfort that felt as if I were sinking back into the cradle I had first been given at birth, my eyes trembled faintly.
Before I knew it, I was gripping his hand tightly.
It was then.
The door flew open, and in front of it stood Jaka, his face rigid, holding the crutch.
Seeing his expression, I had a guess.
“How long have you been standing there?”
Without answering, Jaka came into the dining room. He walked straight up to me and leaned the crutch beside me.
“I brought it here.”
As he said that, he glanced at me, and without realizing it, I tried to pull my hand free from Prien’s.
But Prien caught my falling hand and held it again.
“Why are you doing that?”
Prien asked, looking at me as if he truly had no idea why.
But I knew.
That even though he wore such a neat and devout expression, he was not the sort of person who lacked tact.
Just as I was about to open my mouth, he asked a beat before me.
“Baron, would you prefer I do it like last time after all?”
Like last time?
Prien waited until our eyes met, then lowered his gaze to our joined hands.
Did he mean the day he poured divine power into me to wake me?
I searched my memory.
Surely his hand had touched my forehead, then gradually moved down and stroked my cheek, and then……
After confirming that my expression had changed, Prien glanced briefly at Jaka.
Then, immediately after, he gave me a mischievous smile.
“As I thought, is it a bit much here?”
“…….”
Should I have known from the moment he dropped that half-witted drunkard off the terrace at the banquet without the slightest hesitation?
In unexpected ways, he was remarkably unhesitating in his actions.
Just then, I heard a soft snort of laughter beside me, and Jaka lowered his head toward me.
He braced one arm on the table and leaned his upper body toward me at an angle, meeting my eyes.
“Baron.”
“Y-yes?”
“Do I bother you that much?”
There was a smile on his lips, and his tone was as smooth and polished as that face of his.
But I saw the sharp, icy look in his eyes that even the sly curve of his eye corners could not hide.
“N-no……”
Moreover, as if he wasn’t interested in my answer at all, he ignored it and murmured softly,
“What is there for me to misunderstand? It’s only natural for an injured person to receive treatment.”
“…….”
“Just like how I nurse the Baron all night.”
“…….”
You bastard, when did I ask you to nurse me?
You were just watching me because you thought I might sneak out some alcohol at night!
And no matter how recklessly I’ve lived my life, do you really think I’d thoughtlessly open a bottle at a time like this?
What, did you think I’d secretly pull the blanket over my head and chug straight from the bottle, huh?
……All of a sudden, I felt wronged.
Jaka, who had been staring at my sullen face, straightened his bent upper body and said,
“You were coughing a little at night, but you seem all right now.”
Only then, as if realizing Prien was there in the same room, Jaka turned his head in a smooth arc.
“Ah, Father.”
That bastard had definitely called him “Father” on purpose.
“On the Baron’s behalf, allow me to thank you. It must have been troublesome.”
In his last words, there was a sarcasm he could not quite hide.
Was I not going to stop Jaka?
How was I supposed to stop him?
I lifted my own teacup and devoted myself to savoring the taste of the tea.
Mm, basically bitter, with a slight sweetness at the end. The aroma isn’t bad either……
Prien, who had only been quietly listening until then, answered with a faint smile.
“No need for thanks. If anything, I should be the one thanking you.”
For someone who had provoked him first, his reaction was surprisingly generous.
Besides, I thought he would immediately correct him and say he was not a priest but a paladin.
He looked so indifferent to Jaka that I wondered if he had even properly heard what Jaka had called him.
“Nursing is something anyone can do, but this……. This is something only I can do, isn’t it?”
“…….”
“I have become someone indispensable to the Baron, so how could I not be grateful?”
“……You sound as if you’re glad the Baron was injured.”
Jaka replied coldly, no longer even trying to hide it.
“And do you think you are any different?”
Prien’s immediate retort was rather sharp as well.
“At the very least, I can ensure the Baron recovers completely. So that the Baron will no longer be in pain.”
“…….”
“Who do you think is more necessary to the Baron?”
I couldn’t say I understood all of Jaka’s anxiety,
but at the very least, I could tell this was not a very good moment.
When Prien noticed that I was concerned about Jaka, the expression vanished from his face.
He lowered his eyes.
I set down my teacup.
“Are you done?”
Prien’s hand, still clasping mine, flinched.
“……Yes.”
I pulled my hand free from his. Then I leaned on the crutch and rose.
“I’m going to walk for a bit now.”
“…….”
Prien couldn't answer right away and hesitated slightly.
In truth, it had been words close to an order for him to leave, just as he had expected.
Yet during that brief silence, I changed my mind.
"Would you like to come with me?"
Only then did his expression brighten.
Not that I had sacrificed my precious free time for that, of course.
I had something to ask.
* * *
"Are you referring to heresy?"
He studied my face.
Just in case, I hadn't bothered mentioning this year's Hunt Festival incident.
It could be a sensitive matter concerning the imperial family, and I hadn't wanted to cause any trouble.
"Why do you ask about that all of a sudden?"
"This war, for one...... I've heard rumors that heretics are involved in the human trafficking that's been rampant lately."
"That much is true, however."
"And the same goes for some kind of drug."
Prien stopped once again and looked at me.
Leaning on my crutch, I turned to face him.
"Shall I be frank?"
"......Yes."
"It's about the wonder drug. Is there any chance it could be the work of heretics?"
Prien's gaze deepened.
Even though he knew there was no one around, he took a step closer to me.
And answered in a very low voice.
"Have you asked anyone else besides me?"
"Not yet...... No."
"Until clear evidence proving innocence comes to light, you mustn't give anyone a pretext."
"Why? Are you afraid the heretic inquisitors will come and take me away?"
"......You say that because you've never truly faced them."
"I know. If my luck had been worse, I might have been quietly taken away and killed four years ago without a word getting out."
"......."
"But here I am, alive. That's why I never once gave the heretics any thought. And yet......"
"......."
"For some reason lately, I've had a feeling that it might be related."
"What has led you to think that?"
"The wonder drug. Are you certain it has no connection to heresy?"
I thought Prien would ultimately choose silence.
Even though he himself was in no position to be free of this matter.
He had his station to consider, after all.
But Prien gripped one of my hands tightly with trembling fingertips before letting go, and spoke.
"Once you have fully recovered, come find me at the temple."
"At the temple?"
"There is something I must tell you."
"Can't you tell me now?"
"......It is difficult, for now."
"I understand."
I asked nothing more and promised to come find him later.