IMMCFC 06

Chapter 06

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“Exactly as you said! I… deduced it!”

I shouted, my trembling body barely keeping together, then gasped for air.

Ugh. I thought I was going to die.

‘Still… maybe I’m a little better now…?’

I cautiously glanced at Cain. The aura that had been piercing like a dagger earlier had finally softened.

‘Thank goodness. I really thought I’d suffocate just now.’

I knew it was natural for him to be angry—after all, I had hit a sensitive spot first. I had even prepared an explanation.

But facing his actual anger, I was completely overwhelmed. My mind went blank. Words wouldn’t come.

‘So that’s why they call it Dragon Blood.’

I understood immediately why he was depicted as a figure of fear in the original story.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I realized the situation had calmed, but it wasn’t the time to relax.

“Explain.”

Cain’s low voice gave me one final chance.

I carefully began, choosing my words.

“I noticed Master Jaden’s condition a few days ago.”

That was the day I realized I had been reincarnated as an extra in the story.

The moment I understood the original plot, I naturally confirmed that Jaden had Tamutar disease.

In the early episodes, Melody had helped treat Jaden.

‘After that, Jaden began to treat Melody like a younger sister.’

It had been a small but memorable scene in the beginning.

Still, saying I deduced it wasn’t a lie. I had noticed Jaden’s condition even before realizing I had been reincarnated.

“As you can see from my résumé, I ran an apothecary in a rural village in the south. Naturally, I interacted with many herbalists. Recently, I heard that a high-ranking person was buying Sharpleaf at an unusually high price. I found that odd.”

Sharpleaf grows only in specific regions of the south and is generally considered useless. Its minor hemostatic effect made it nearly valueless.

‘But that’s just common knowledge.’

“It’s not widely known, but Sharpleaf is actually the only herb capable of suppressing dragon energy.”

I had read that in an old book belonging to the Marquess’ estate.

Ancient knowledge is often dismissed as outdated. Most would ignore dusty books… but without a mentor, I read whatever I could get my hands on.

Sometimes people mocked me for wasting my time, but…

‘Who knew it would come in handy like this.’

I continued with a clear voice.

“So I immediately thought of the Ashlern family. At the same time, I suspected someone might have Tamutar disease.”

It’s a rare illness that only affects Dragon Blood individuals.

It occurs when the body’s growth can’t keep up with the dragon power raging inside—a disease of growing bodies only.

That information alone was enough to guess who might be sick.

“You, Your Grace, are already an adult, and Master Noah attends the academy. Naturally, I deduced that Master Jaden had Tamutar disease.”

…That was all I had prepared. Would he believe me?

Even if he didn’t, there was nothing I could do.

I had no intention of saying I learned it from the story. I carefully observed Cain’s expression, tense.

For a long moment, he stared down at me with furrowed brows.

‘Stop just looking at me… say something, please…’

“You really claim that you figured all this out from such minimal information?”

I answered firmly.

“…Yes! If you’re still suspicious, you may investigate me.”

“If you were a spy, I’d have to admit that confidence.”

“No, I’m just being honest…! If I were a spy, I wouldn’t have appeared before you. I don’t have the courage to try to deceive Your Grace…”

I meant every word. Yet Cain let out a small chuckle.

‘Huh… seems like this has happened before…’

Whatever it was, the mood hadn’t turned bad. I looked up at him again and spoke clearly.

“Your Grace, you may doubt me all you want. If you judge me useless, you may dismiss me immediately. I only ask… for a chance.”

“Do you truly think you can help treat Jaden?”

“Yes. I can. No—I want to.”

I had come to Cain knowing the danger, but it wasn’t just for Melody or me.

Jaden, barely six years old, would face many years of suffering, as I had seen in the original story. I couldn’t ignore that.

“In return, all I ask is that you protect the young Saintess candidate and me from other forces.”

“You mean protection from the Temple.”

“Yes.”

Cain nodded, seeming to understand, then paused. He seemed to have a question lingering.

“…But I still don’t understand. Why go this far to protect the Saintess candidate?”

“She’s very young. She suffers from selective mutism and could be exploited. And the Saintess position has been vacant for over twenty years…”

I clenched my fists.

A Saintess is someone who holds the mark of the divine. It only manifests when a specific relic is present.

For now, I called Melody a Saintess candidate, gripping my fists tight.

“At least until she can protect herself, I want an adult—me—to protect her.”

It was sincere.

The original story was a childcare tale. Melody survived through sheer determination and struggle.

‘Strange. It was entertaining in the book.’

But after reincarnating, I saw things differently.

Melody was no longer a character on a page—she was a real person to me.

She smiled at macarons, snored softly when sleepy. A completely ordinary child.

‘Of course, I know she’s a Saintess, with power far beyond ordinary priests.’

Her destiny was extraordinary, but to me, she was just a child.

‘She deserves to play and be happy.’

It was my responsibility to deal with the hardships. That was why I had to act desperately.

“So please, make a contract with me.”

I looked directly into Cain’s red eyes, speaking clearly one last time.

Cain stared silently at her.

Viola. At first, it was simple curiosity. But the more he spoke with her, the stranger the impression she left.

He could read her, yet she remained difficult to understand—a type of person he had never met.

She was bold enough to seem fearless, yet not without fear. And what she wanted in her gamble wasn’t gold, power, or prestige.

She only wanted protection for the young Saintess candidate and herself.

‘A Saintess candidate…’

Perhaps she meant his niece.

Cain recalled the scene from the plaza the day before. Only he, as Dragon Blood, could sense the energy. Even for a child, it was extraordinary.

He understood exactly why she claimed the girl was a Saintess candidate. Judging by her overwhelming power, she likely truly was.

Having such a child under his care would surely make the Temple hostile…

‘Doesn’t matter. We’re not exactly on friendly terms anyway.’

Noble houses usually stay close to the Temple, but the Ashlern family was an exception.

‘So she approached me knowing all this and proposed the contract.’

A clever woman, discerning Jaden’s condition from so little information. There was no reason not to make a deal.

Finally, Cain spoke.

“Proceed with the contract.”