Chapter 78: Unhealed Wound
The day after finishing the Subjugation Festival and on their way home.
My head hurts.
Shiron, with a large backpack strapped to his back, groaned in pain. The boy, with his arms, crossed and a grimace on his face seemed to be undergoing tremendous torment.
After responding to the Emperors invitation, dealing with the witch that threatened his righteousness, and overlooking the murderous intent from Lucia, it seemed like he had overcome each crisis one after the other. However, the last crisis remained unresolved.
Siriel Prient.
The existence of the girl, which he had carefully placed in the pocket of his heart, began to emerge like a sharp nail.
Shell be angry, wont she? She must be furious. She must have shed tears wondering why he took Lucia, who is the same age as her, but left her behind
Ah
Shiron sighed deeply.
Predicting how his young sister must have been heartbroken was easier than eating a cake. It was like there were mountains beyond mountains, and now he was facing a new crisis.
It would be difficult to be hated by Siriel now.
The efforts Shiron made to win Siriels heart were countless. Whenever there was something to be praised, he would put candy in her mouth and play with her every day to keep her from getting bored. Sometimes, they would read not-so-funny fairy tale books together on the garden bench.
While it might seem like a trivial matter to play with a little child, each act was a step toward gaining Siriels complete trust.
Good friends and family that was what it was all about. Even if the relationship was not good, as time went by and they spent more time together, affection, or Jeong (), took its place in the heart. Even if Siriel became rebellious as she grew up, she might do him a favor or two, remembering the good old days when they played together.
So, it was necessary to avoid Siriels hatred, but bringing her to the Subjugation Festival was a different story.
Even though the knights were guarding the tent like an iron wall, Ailee Suarez succeeded in breaking through the guards and attacking Shiron in a bizarre way. Lucia was fine even after the witchs attack because she was Lucia. If Siriel had been attacked, he didnt even want to imagine what kind of danger she would have faced.
However, Shiron had neither the means to explain the situation to Siriel nor the ability to make her understand.
Even if one understood in their head, feelings of disappointment could linger in the heart, and that was human nature.
But Shiron knew the best way to minimize the hatred. He decided to use a somewhat materialistic method.
What would Siriel like
Shiron had been wandering around the duty-free store for a while now. Arwen Station, despite being a solitary building in the middle of a vast grassland, was a large station with a top floor that exceeded 90 meters, so it naturally had duty-free stores.
Hugo, who often left home on business trips, would shower Eldrina with gifts. Shiron got the idea from him.
I think shell like whatever we buy.
Lucia, who had been following Shiron quietly, muttered to herself. She didnt know what they were doing since the crack of dawn, but Lucia also moved her heavy footsteps because she was curious about what gift Shiron would choose.
But there were limits.
Lucia looked at the clock on the corridor wall.
[11:20 AM]
The train leaves in thirty minutes. We should decide soon.
Lucia said as if urging him a little.
If you find it difficult to choose, shall I choose instead?
You?
Shiron looked back at Lucia with a slightly disgruntled face. But Lucia did not point out Shirons attitude or get angry. Instead, she shrugged her shoulders and showed a relaxed expression.
After all, Im a girl just like Siriel.
Thats true.
So, simply put, theres a high possibility that Siriel will like what I choose.
Lucia pointed to a certain spot. There was a somewhat quaint souvenir shop.
I saw it on the way here. How about buying a set of Jeonbyeong*? I bought one, too.
Lucia handed Shiron a paper box. The box wrapped in colorful paper looked far from elegant.
Shiron narrowed his eyes and looked at Lucia.
Jeonbyeong? Thats something grandparents like. Do you think Siriel, who is still ten years old, would like that? Maybe a roll cake, but not Jeonbyeong.
I, I also
She was also ten years old.
But Lucia could only close her mouth tightly. Lucia was not shameless to that extent. Acting like a child while hiding the fact that she was a reincarnated person pricked her conscience, and speaking it out was a higher hurdle than acting.
Jeonbyeong is delicious, isnt it
Lucia bowed her head and hugged the paper box again. She wanted to refute the statement that only old people liked Jeonbyeong, but she had just seen Johan smiling and buying Jeonbyeong a little while ago, so she couldnt say anything.
Come to think of it, people bought water buffalo milk cheese or Mayuju, but no one bought Jeonbyeong
Thats really from the countryside.
Shiron clicked his tongue while looking at the display case and turned his gaze. The employee who was dealing with them had a stiffened face, but it didnt matter to Shiron.
I dont like anything I see here.
Then what will you do? Go empty-handed?
Theres no way.
Shiron stared at the wooden box on Lucias back. It was an elixir made from the blood of a mermaid, given as a prize for the Subjugation Festival. But Lucia had no intention of drinking the elixir.
Lucia also felt guilty about leaving Siriel out.
If you give that elixir to Siriel It doesnt matter, even if it hurts your pride. At least you should give her a gift equivalent to that elixir to feel at ease.
You make it sound like I did something wrong.
Anyway, theres nothing to buy here, so lets go.
We should stop by the auction house or something.
Shiron decided to look for another opportunity.
At that moment, at Arwen Plateau Stations Square.
It was about time for lunch, but Malleus Garibaldi had not slept or eaten since yesterday.
Malleus was not the type to undertake ascetic practices without compensation, but since yesterday, he had been personally treating those injured from the punitive expeditions.
The task should have been completed long ago, but due to overlapping reports on witch hunts and schedules, the work still showed no signs of ending.
Some questioned why Malleus, the leader of the Steel Knights, personally took action. However, the patients he was responsible for were such that only Malleus, capable of handling the archbishop-level sacred laws, could treat them.
Youve come again this year without fail.
Excuse me for my rudeness.
Lets take a look at the wound.
Dexter Dras smiled brightly at Malleus, revealing his teeth missing in several places.
Malleus concentrated his mind and activated the sacred law. Holy light emanated from his hand, healing the wound.
Then, something miraculous happened.
Crunch-
Like seeds sprouting new shoots in spring, teeth began to grow from the gums.
Uh
Dexter fiddled with his mouth a few times, then looked at his face in the mirror. Not only the missing teeth but also the slightly shaky ones were all neatly healed.
However, Dexter felt a little disappointed.
As expected, it hasnt recovered.
Im sorry
He received sacred law treatment to regrow lost teeth, but his face, which seemed to have been crushed, did not heal. The deep, scar-ridden face was a significant complex for Dexter. He knew it himself. His face was not just difficult to look at; it was disfigured to the point of being abhorrent and avoidable
Its terrible every time I see it
Dexter looked at the monster reflected in the mirror. His face, which could only be described as a monster, was so distorted that he felt nauseated just looking at it.
Because of these terrible scars, Dexter could not properly face his only child. The child who smiled at his hideous face was only Shiron Prient.
Well, thank you for your efforts.
Brother, thank you for your efforts as well.
Dexter placed a pouch full of gold coins on the table and turned to leave. His retreating figure was a familiar sight to many high-ranking clergy, including Malleus.
Even receiving healing sacred law from a cardinal-like figure could not fix his wounds, which always puzzled Malleus.
However, it was not that he hadnt asked him before. In the past, he had asked Dexter several times where he had gotten such scars and survived. But Dexter had always remained silent.
Whenever clergy tried to ask about his scars, Dexter would cast a dark shadow over his face and hastily leave the place.
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