***
***
"I don't know! She's the saint who came down last time!”
"I don't know… she's a saint from the Great Temple…"
It was obvious that the longer he was exposed to the holy power, the more Mies' mental defenses would drop significantly. Seria gritted her teeth and changed her question.
"Then why did you try to take this circlet?"
Knowing that this circlet has explosive divine power, Mies tried to own it. The report posted by Linon said that the sorcerers confessed so. But Seria couldn't easily believe the confession.
Because she knew how this circlet went in the original.
She knew it well.
In the original story, Mies would have taken the circlet, but no one else would have taken the Berg circlet out of its underground burial.
It was not as bad as it was now, but even in the original story, Mies put in a lot of effort to have the Circle. It didn’t seem to make sense to auction off something that took that much effort. It was absurd.
There must be a real purpose for him trying to have this circlet.
"Mies."
The real purpose was that even if the circlet was put on the auction house in the future, the justification would be established.
"Why did you want to have a circlet?”
As Seria continued to hold the circlet to the Stern insignia, Mies was swung in all directions with exploding divine power. Along with a hoarse scream, Mies shouted like a vomit.
"The moon…!"
"The moon?"
As Mies’ words were cut off with convulsions, Seria put the circlet back to the insignia again. Mies immediately twisted his body.
“Dedicated to my Moon…!”
Simultaneously with those words, foam came out of his mouth and Mies fainted. Seria quietly removed the circlet and moved away from Mies.
“Moon? What is the moon?”
Nothing came to mind. Was it Mies' secret lover? A term of endearment? But for that, he licked Seria’s lips very passionately and expressed his desire without hesitation.
“I'll ask Linon to be sure."
She kept interrogating Mies with her divine power and she was out of breath. Seria gasped and leaned against the table. The circlet rattled in her hands.
As she tortured Mies, the magi circling around the box was also purified. Looking at the surface of the glass, Seria put the circlet back into her clothes.
She had already heard and knew that Mies did not have even the blood of the previous Grand Duke Berg.
Mies's end belonged to the people of the Green Manor, not to her.
‘I‘ll give them both a vacation.’
Because Ben and Susan needed time to compose themselves. Seria glanced at Mies. Before seeing the end, she would have to squeeze the truth out of Mies again tomorrow.
“Magi…”
‘He doesn’t know Lina, but he shares the same word as Lina.'
If Mies was a young, handsome, mastermind High Priest, it would be an understandable coincidence with romance-novel tolerance, but the fact that such gruesomeness was missing, and that such an important word overlapped with a grim sorcerer who didn't show up until the end in the original story, didn't quite add up.
Seria’s mind was a jumble. In the original story, this circlet was just for gifts. A tearful courtship present for the heroine from Seria’s nerdy brother Nissos….
Does Nissos need to be tortured with holy power too ? The thought of torturing all the sub-male leads from the original story crossed Seria’s mind if it went on like this.
When she came out of the tortured chamber staggering, someone grabbed her hand.
“Bibi.”
"Miss."
"I need a bath."
Abigail asked as she meekly escorted Seria out.
“Young lady, does the sacred power of that necklace affect your husband?”
Seria chuckled, thinking of the sacred power that had knocked out Baron Ison and Duke Dietrich.
“Yes, Bibi."
It had no effect.
“There is no one more strongly affected by this divine power than Lesche.”
That was Seria’s guess. Even more so when she recalled the similarities between Duke Dietrich and Baron Ison.
"…"
Abigail seemed curious, but she walked Seria to the bath anyway. The tub filled quickly, and she soaked in the hot water, leaning her head back a bit as she sorted out what she wanted to say to Lesche.
From that day on Seria couldn't wake up for a few days.
****
How long did she pass out like that? When she finally woke up properly, it was midnight. It was not natural sunlight, but it could be fully guessed by the view illuminated by the lighting. And the face that she could see right above…
“Bibi…”
“My Lady!"
Abigail immediately hugged Seria. She saw Abigail just before she passed out, and she couldn't believe it was Abigail she would see again as soon as she woke up. She tried to laugh, but she didn't have the strength, so she just gave up and slumped. Her body was very hot. The heat boiled over.
It wasn't tingling or uncomfortably hot, as if her body had been beaten. It was more like the feeling after a long soak in boiling water. It was an unusual feeling, but she knew instinctively that it was not just fatigue, but overuse of divine power.
"This is what happens when you use too much divine power."
"Give me some water…"
"Here you go, Grand Duchess. Please drink."
The lukewarm water flowed into her mouth. She heard a voice and knew it was Susan. After drinking water slowly, Seria opened her swollen eyes. Susan had a very haggard face. Seria was sure it was partly her fault and partly Mies' fault as well. She couldn't see Ben right now, but he would have a face similar to Susan's.
“You finally woke up. It's been days since you’ve been awake…"
When Seria heard Susan's words, she knew she had been out cold for days. She waited until enough water soothed her dry throat to open her mouth.
"Susan, vacation…two weeks, right?"
Seria asked with a hacking cough mixed in.
It was unsure if Lesche would give Mies to the members of the Green Manor alive, dead, or nothing, but she had to go to the Green Manor. Susan nodded as if she fully understood what Seria was saying.
"I will convey the Grand Duchess's message to the two* of them as well.” (*Martha and Joanna)
Soon the doctor came running in. The doctor examined Seria’s body methodically and then diagnosed that she was fine. Her fever would go down in the morning. In fact, her body was getting better strangely fast. Was it because of the divine power?
At first it was hard for Seria to smile, but now her face was slowly changing. As her gaze finally moved with ease, she turned to look at the door, because the eyes of Susan, the doctor, and the maids had been looking that way for a while now.
"…"
Seria was more than a little perplexed when she looked there.
Lesche was sitting by the side table staring at her. He didn't say a word. The problem was…..
The problem was the fact that his red eyes were very downcast. She thought it was simply because she collapsed that was why the atmosphere in the bedroom was heavy, but it was not. She was horrified by the cold, blank expression on his face. Lesche’s mood was very unusual.
When she turned her head slightly, avoiding Lesche’s gaze that fixed on her. Unpredictably, he immediately stood up and commanded.
"Everyone, out."
The bedroom was instantly quiet. Lesche strode towards Seria. He sat down on the bed and opened his mouth.
"What the hell are you trying to do, Seria?"
"…"
Seria gasped at the sound of his voice, which was much different than usual.
‘Did I use too much power and Mies died?’
Seria asked carefully.
"… Could it be that Mies died?"
"It's not Mies, it's you now…"
There was a hint of suppressed anger in Lesche’s voice.
"Do you know how long it's been since you came to your senses? Do you know how many days it's been since you’re awake?”
"—I didn't know that if I used my divine power, I would pass out."
As she said this, she suddenly realized that her neck was empty. Her gaze reflexively turned to the side. The circlet was very important to her and to Berg, because when she took it off and put it somewhere else, she always put it on the side table by the bed.
The problem was that it was not there when it was supposed to be.
"Are you looking for that bloody circlet?” (Lesche)
"Lesche."
Seria couldn’t help but panic. What did he mean ‘bloody circlet’?
He seemed to know that Seria had extracted her divine power, and that she fainted from it.
"I guess Bibi told you." (Seria)
Well, it was a natural choice for Abigail to tell Lesche Seria because suddenly collapsed and lost consciousness.
It was just…
"… What did you do with that circlet?" (Seria)
Lesche looked at her and gritted his teeth.
"I broke it." (Lesche)
"What?"
He broke it?
His words were unexpected, and Seria tried to keep her composure. Yes, she was awake now for the first time in days. She could fully understand why Lesche was angry. The circlet was very useful… but what to do. He already broke it.
"I'm sorry." (Seria)
Seria grabbed Lesche’s hand. She felt really very scared if he would shake her off, but luckily he didn't.
"I didn’t know the divine power would shake my body that much. It's hard to see a holy object that produces such a strong divine power anyway, so I won't use it anymore. If I knew I would faint like that, I wouldn’t use it so much…” (Seria)
"…"
"Did you worry a lot? I'm so sorry.” (Seria)
"Seria……."
For a moment, Lesche squeezed Seria’s hand tightly. As soon as she shrank in pain, he let go of her hand. Lesche alternately looked at his hand and Seria’s hand, and then he just swept his face with both hands.
"Please, don't do this.” (Lesche)
"…What?”
“What would happen if you couldn't wake up forever during those days?” (Lesche)
"…"
"How bad were those days, it was torture to even breathe." (Lesche)
"Lesche….."
Lesche lifted his gaze, staring straight at Seria, he asked.
"I have one question for you, Seria.”
"What is it?"
“Why did you pull me out of the basement? Answer honestly." (Lesche)
The basement torture chamber where Mies was locked up. She was pretty sure she asked Lesche to come up before she had her solo interview with Mies. She had given him a good reason to do so. He obeyed without saying a word. She did not expect he would ask again.
The red eyes staring at her were a different shape.
"Your knight doesn't answer even when she's dead, does she?” (Lesche)
"…… Bibi?"
"Yes.”
She saw a clean blanket a few hours ago, which must have been new.
That was why she sent Lesche up.
It was a few days ago, before Mies was tortured in earnest.
***
*Seria was afraid Lesche would torture Mies to death before she could obtain information from Mies that’s why she told him to come out of the torture chamber. She wanted to get information from Mies alone, because she hadn't told Lesche the real story about Lina, the circlet, and the original story. It’s not that she was afraid for Mies’s life, she just wanted to get information before he would be beaten to death.
