Chapter 38
The sudden disappearance of Je-ne-bi-a made me glance around in confusion.
“Hey, did anyone see Je-ne-bi-a?”
“Oh, the priest? She’s probably handling her duties.”
“Duties? What duties?”
‘We’re right here with So-on—what kind of duties is she talking about?’
Garen seemed to recall something.
“Well… as far as I remember, she said she would begin proper handover training from her superior and be moving between the annex and the main building for various tasks. She looked quite busy even yesterday.”
“…Really?”
I frowned at that.
Even in the original story, when Je-ne-bi-a had just arrived at the duke’s estate, she had gone through a rough time due to a toxic senior and being dumped with all kinds of work.
Until the main male lead appeared and resolved things later, she would quietly overwork herself, helping anyone and everyone until she eventually collapsed.
And the one who had secretly taken care of her behind the scenes back then was So-on.
But now, with their relationship diverging from the original, she was essentially… left on her own.
“She was looking a bit pale too….”
I clicked my tongue and brought up a thought I had been postponing.
“So-on. About that expedition to the borderlands—let’s take Je-ne-bi-a with us.”
“A priest?”
“Yeah. She’s a healing priest, right? She’ll definitely be a huge help.”
“If she’s a low-ranking priest, there are already a couple stationed in the borderlands. There’s no need to increase personnel unnecessarily.”
“But we don’t know what might happen on the way there. It’s better to have at least one healer just in case.”
At my words, So-on paused briefly in thought.
“That’s true. Something like last time could happen again.”
His serious gaze briefly swept over my body, likely remembering the poison incident with the assassins.
After a moment, he wrote “Je-ne-bi-a Ri-lo” into the “support personnel” list.
‘Yes!’
I grabbed So-on’s right hand as he set down the quill.
“Good thinking, So-on! Thanks!”
“……”
Used to my constant physical affection by now, So-on only reacted mildly.
“However… did you obtain her consent?”
“Hmm?”
“She is a priest of the Temple. Even if she is assigned to the duke’s estate, she cannot be taken on an expedition without her consent.”
I froze.
‘Consent? There’s a new complication.’
There was no way the Je-ne-bi-a who didn’t even enjoy staying in this annex would willingly go to a warzone in the borderlands.
“…Ahem. When is departure again?”
“In three days, most likely.”
“Th-then I’ll get her consent before then! No problem!”
“……”
I quickly stood up.
‘I should go now. I need to persuade her—no, convince her somehow.’
No matter what, Je-ne-bi-a had to come with us.
“I’ll go out for a bit!”
I dashed out of the room.
A few days later
I searched the entire estate like a maniac.
“Haah… haah… found her.”
Only after quite some time did I finally locate Je-ne-bi-a.
She was at an outdoor training ground near the main building.
“…It looks like a Thomson’s gazelle surrounded by predators.”
I muttered while peering at her curly head barely visible among large knights.
I carefully moved between corridor pillars, inching closer.
I overheard servants nearby talking.
“What? Really?”
“I’m telling you! The burn on Molly’s hand was healed completely!”
“No way… she used such precious divine power on servants?”
An elderly servant added,
“It’s true. The newly assigned priest is treating not only knights but everyone in the estate.”
“Wow!”
“Her beauty and kindness are already becoming famous.”
As people gathered around Je-ne-bi-a, the crowd grew larger and larger.
Every time she used her healing power, gasps erupted.
“Wow!”
“Thank you, priest!”
“Such kindness…!”
Je-ne-bi-a smiled brightly, wearing her polite “social mask,” treating everyone gently.
“Please form a line so I can treat everyone properly.”
It was exactly the “sunshine heroine” version of Je-ne-bi-a from the original story.
“Tsk tsk.”
I clicked my tongue.
“She’s clearly about to pass out.”
Her face was visibly pale.
In the original, she would often collapse from overworking herself like this.
“Next! Me!”
“My shoulder hurts!”
“I’m next!”
People who didn’t even look seriously injured rushed forward just to receive healing.
I shook my head and flew toward her.
Then I aimed at a tree above Je-ne-bi-a.
Even though it felt wasteful to use my precious “fangirl skill” here… this was for So-on.
“.”
A heart-shaped force shot out and struck the tree.
KOOOONG—
Snow piled on the branches collapsed all at once.
“Eek! Cold!”
“Ahh, what is this!”
The crowd scattered in chaos.
I slipped into Je-ne-bi-a’s hair and whispered:
“Je-ne-bi-a.”
“…?! Rin-nim? How are you here?”
“Just come with me.”
I grabbed her hair lightly and pulled her away from the crowd.
We stopped in a corridor leading back to the annex.
I crossed my arms.
“What are you doing?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“You’re overusing divine power. You know that’s dangerous for your body, right?”
Je-ne-bi-a fell silent.
“You should pace yourself. Why are you working yourself like a pushover?”
“…A pushover?”
I sighed.
“You are. And you’re not even normally that kind of person.”
That hit a nerve.
Je-ne-bi-a flinched.
“You—!” she snapped.
“When did you ever care about me enough to lecture me like this? Honestly, I’m shocked!”
“I’m the one shocked. You’re supposed to be So-on’s assigned priest, yet you’re doing all this work here instead.”
“……”
“That high priest above you should be handling knight injuries. Where is he while you’re doing all this alone?”
“…That’s…”
She hesitated.
I waited.
Then she finally spoke again.
“It can’t be helped.”
“What can’t?”
“I don’t do this because I want to! Do you think I enjoy bowing and smiling and doing everything just to appease that slippery old man?! Do you think I like being treated like this?!”
“You don’t have to be.”
My blunt reply made her explode.
“That’s easy for you to say! You’re a fairy!”
“……”
“You don’t know anything about me! Someone like me can be replaced and discarded at any time! My life is disposable to them! Everything is just a joke or entertainment to you people!”
Her voice shook with anger.
“I hate it! It’s infuriating! Just go back to that prince! Stop interfering with my life!”
“……”
She turned away and left.
I scratched my cheek.
“…Well. That got complicated.”
