Chapter: 30
The dining room descended into chaos in an instant.
“Young Master!”
I quickly scrambled down from my chair to check on Cain, who had collapsed.
Rattle. Thump!
The Duchess also rose urgently from her seat and rushed over.
But then she flinched.
Her steps halted after only a short distance.
“…It’s that illness,” the Duchess muttered lowly, pressing a hand to her forehead.
For a moment, anguish, guilt, self-reproach, and rage flickered across her face.
“Summon Zaira immediatelyā”
“No!” I shouted loudly.
“Someone just used dark magic!”
“!”
At my conviction-filled voice, the Duchess’s gaze met mine.
With trembling hands, I examined Cain. I could sense the energy of a demonic creature emanating from him.
But the creature itself wasn’t here…
“Duchess, you called?”
Just then, as if someone had already summoned her, Zaira entered the dining room.
Without a moment’s hesitation, she came over, pushed me aside, and began examining Cain.
“It appears to be Young Master Gerard’s illness indeed…”
At Zaira’s sigh-laced words, the Duchess stumbled and grasped the wall beside her for support.
“I told you, it’s not!” I shouted loudly again.
“I can feel the energy of a demonic creature! This isn’t an illness, it’sā”
“What would you know, interrupting like this! Young Master Gerard’s illness contaminates everything around it too!”
“!?”
A fake illness!?
As my vision went white, Cain’s neck began to turn a shade of grey.
Without a moment’s thought, before anyone could stop me, I reflexively lunged forward and grabbed Cain’s neck.
“Hey!” Zaira’s sharp voice pierced the air.
Ignoring her, I concentrated my divine power and infused it into Cain’s neck. A horrifying sensation crawled up my arm.
But I recognized this sensation.
‘Could it be…’
Gritting my teeth, I wrapped my arms around Cain’s back.
“What do you think you’reā!”
“There’s… there’s a demonic creature in his throat! We need to get it out!”
“Whaāwhat!?”
Murmurs began to ripple through the surroundings.
Ignoring them, I clenched one fist tightly with my other hand and pushed hard against Cain’s body.
Hup!
But despite several attempts, the creature wouldn’t come out.
‘I’m not strong enough! I can’t do it with my power alone!’
It seemed the creature was clinging stubbornly to his throat.
I considered just destroying it with divine power, but the flames released upon its destruction would likely cost Cain his life as well.
If so.
“Duchess!” I snapped my head up and looked at her.
“Please help me! I need to do it forcefully, but with my strength alone…”
“Duchess, you mustn’t. Getting close will only cause the young master more suffering. His condition is still treatable; we shouldn’t aggravate the illness further.”
Zaira cut me off, her voice firm. Amidst the chaotic situation, her calm tone was remarkably reassuring.
The Duchess’s pupils wavered. She flinched, seemingly torn.
She’s hesitating in a moment like this…?
Suddenly, I felt a pang of betrayal.
After hearing the full story, I had understood why the Duchess kept her distance from Cain.
I thought it was because she loved him.
‘But this isn’t the time for that!’
Emotions welled up inside me uncontrollably.
“I’m disappointed! You’re the kind of person who would do nothing even if the young master died, Duchess! Just stay back there like always!”
I yelled shrilly.
If I were trying to persuade her, staying calm like Zaira would have been better, but I couldn’t help it.
Huff. Huff. My shoulders heaved up and down.
‘Fine! I’ll do it myself!’
I didn’t stop my attempts to extract the creature from Cain’s throat.
But it wasn’t working.
‘What if he dies because of me…?’
Fear suddenly gripped me. Terror coursed through my entire body.
Beyond my plans crumbling, I simply didn’t want to watch someone die right before my eyes.
“Ughhh… huh?”
Then it happened.
Someone pulled Cain from my arms and attempted the same first aid I had been doing.
“All we need is to remove what’s lodged in his throat?”
“D-Duchess!?”
Zaira was startled to see the Duchess holding Cain.
“…Ah, yes!” I answered, snapping out of my daze.
“Wait, just a momentā!”
“Cough!”
Just as Zaira reached out in panic, a black object shot out from Cain’s mouth.
At first glance, it looked like a piece of Renegeil, but this… was a demonic creature.
I picked it up.
The creature was only about the size of my thumb. Its murky energy was weak, suggesting it was incomparably weaker than the creatures I had seen in the ducal residence.
Whoosh!
As I used my divine power, the creature burned away to white ash.
This wasn’t the time to show off and say, “See? I was right.”
By now, many people had already rushed into the dining room. Even if they couldn’t come close, fearing they might transmit the illness to Cain.
‘I can’t let these worried people get contaminated.’
Besides, everyone had already seen the creature writhing.
And then.
“Ah!”
“D-Duchess! Where are you going!”
After finishing the first aid, the Duchess, carrying both me and Cain, quickly ran out of the dining room.
“Forgive me, but could you purify him?”
The place the Duchess brought me and Cain was the infirmary.
She carefully laid Cain on the bed and spoke to me.
“Of, of course.”
My head was spinning from experiencing that breakneck speed.
I steadied my wobbling body and promptly walked over to Cain.
“Since it wasn’t completely swallowed, he’ll be fine. The creature was weak too.”
While purifying Cain, I did my best to explain what I knew.
It was my way of expressing gratitude to the Duchess for finally acting, even if a little late.
But the Duchess just sat on a chair in a corner of the infirmary, saying nothing.
She didn’t ask who used the dark magic, or what that thing really was.
“… …”
Only a mother, shocked by her son’s collapse, was there.
Fortunately, Cain soon stabilized.
“Phew.”
Perhaps because the creature was weak, or because the removal was quick… but more likely, it was simply because Cain’s body was strong.
‘This is what it takes to be the protagonist.’
While knights or mercenaries who regularly trained were relatively more resistant to demonic contamination than ordinary people, I hadn’t expected young Cain to be this resilient.
‘His recovery speed is fast too. With plenty of rest and treatment, he should recover quickly.’
The Duchess officially entrusted me with Cain’s purification.
“…I leave it to you.”
Her voice, though expressionless, was laced with a mixture of guilt and gratitude.
‘I wish I could have seen Zaira’s face then.’
Zaira had glared at me as I nodded, looking like she wanted to tear me apart.
But despite that, she offered no rebuttal. Probably because she knew it would be useless anyway.
“When you’re finished, please leave.”
They say speak of the dragon and he shall come.
Just as I finished today’s purification for Cain and was tidying up my spot, Zaira entered the infirmary holding a chart in one hand.
Zaira, the personal physician of the Argent family, was attending to Cain under the Duchess’s orders.
After all, it was good to have a doctor.
But I wasn’t particularly pleased about it.
‘Because she made a wrong judgment and nearly let Cain die.’
However, I heard that Zaira later went to the Duchess, tearfully admitted her mistake, and apologized.
Perhaps, given the symptoms, it genuinely had resembled Gerard’s illness, so the Duchess let it slide for now.
Hmm.
“She must have quite a lot of trust in you.”
Leaving the infirmary, I went to find Rain.
Rain welcomed me without any sign of discomfort.
“Your success in improving Young Master Gerard’s condition must have had a significant impact.”
Now, days after regaining consciousness, Rain was much recovered.
Not completely healed, but with enough rest, he could manage daily life to some extent.
“According to the maids from the North, they say the Duchess follows Zaira’s advice unconditionally. They also said she purchases the purification stones Zaira recommends every time, even spending enormous sums of money.”
Several gift boxes were piled in one corner of Rain’s room.
They were from people who came to celebrate Rain waking upāprobably the maids I had chatted with before.
It seemed they had also shared this gossip then.
“Those purification stones, they were said to be special ones, right?”
“Yes. They were also said to be different from the divine power you use, Winiel.”
“Heck, a complete lie. Divine power is all the same…”
I felt like sighing. There were so many lies, but I had no solid evidence to present. It was all just unfounded words.
“Can we even be sure she’s a real doctor?”
At this point, I even doubted whether she was a legitimate physician.
“Well, she certainly seems like a quack, selling those strange purification stones.”
Rain spoke about Zaira without mercy.
Unlike the servants from the North, he hadn’t actually seen Zaira in action, and right after waking up, he’d witnessed her appalling character, so it was understandable.
“But thankfully, it seems the Duchess has grown suspicious. I heard she’s considering canceling the purchase of the new purification stones she was going to buy.”
“Wow, really? That’s a relief.”
I let out a big breath, feeling relieved.
Now that doubts about Zaira had begun to surface, it seemed the Duchess’s trust was also waning.
‘This seed of doubt that’s sprouted now will gradually grow. Let’s gather more evidence and present it.’
But my plan was scrapped before it even began.
By a single letter that arrived from the North.
“Young Master Gerard’s condition has worsened! If we don’t take immediate action…”
