Ian exerted strength on his arm.
He exerted so much force that his veins nearly burst.
He poured all his strength into the sword as if to pierce Richard’s heart.
He also channeled all his remaining magic and abilities into it.
— Grrrrk!
A grotesque sound flowed from Richard’s throat.
His eyes darkened like those of a demon.
Then.
— Thunk
With a snapping sound, Richard ceased his movement.
“Haah… Haah…”
His rough breath, flowing from his mouth, filled his vision with white.
In between, he saw it.
Richard’s body turning black.
It was as if the corpse he had been harboring in his prison was manifesting.
“…”
Ian stood still for a while.
He remained there dazedly.
Perhaps due to the blow he received from Richard, his head spun.
Everything just seemed blurry.
Was Sharon in front of him?
At least she wasn’t cold.
Her body, warmed by blood, felt comforting.
— ……!
Far away.
People were rushing towards them.
Enemies?
Hmm.
At this point, it seemed impossible to face them.
Staggering.
Through his blurry vision, he caught sight of bright golden hair.
“… Asteria.”
He collapsed, capturing her in his sight.
◆
“……”
His legs were numb.
Ian blinked and opened his eyes.
An unfamiliar white ceiling.
After blinking for a moment, Ian glanced down.
— Sshuk, sshak.
— Nyaam…
Lina and Danya.
Both were peacefully sitting on chairs beside the bed, legs resting on his lap, fast asleep.
“… Are my legs pillows?”
He sighed lightly, and someone approached.
“Are you awake?”
“… Miss Karen.”
“The princess is cleaning up, so I’ve been keeping watch in her place.”
She bowed her head slightly.
“I apologize. With everyone from the tournament missing and the influx of Bloodstone Cultists and assassins, it was deemed an overwhelming situation.”
Come to think of it, her mission during the tournament was to search the mansion.
Thanks to that, she managed to handle the situation without being swept away by Richard’s stronghold.
“We requested urgent support to leave the mansion… I had no idea such things were happening. Being absorbed into Richard’s dantian.”
That was quite a judgment. Even if she tried to confront Richard, the number of casualties might have only increased by one.
“No. It was a good decision.”
It seemed a variety of medical supplies were laid out around.
It seemed she requested reinforcements properly.
“By the way. My head feels a bit fuzzy.”
His head still hurt. The aftermath of Richard’s strike was not ordinary.
“W-well, at the time of discovery, it was quite serious.”
“Serious?”
“Physical damage due to impact, nervous system damage due to magic… Luckily, there was a skilled priest.”
It would have been really bad if not handled well.
Now he understood why Karen was so apologetic.
Ian smiled warmly at her.
“You brought an amazing priest.”
“The princess brought the palace’s priest.”
A priest of the imperial family.
Then their skills would be dependable.
To the fumbling Karen, Ian opened his mouth.
“Thank you, Karen. Thanks to you, I’m alive. If Karen hadn’t assessed the situation quickly, the princess wouldn’t have been able to respond either.”
Karen, who had been biting her lip for a moment, bowed her head slightly.
“Thank you.”
Before he could respond, he heard the shuffling sound of approaching footsteps.
“Looks like you’ve come to your senses!”
With a hearty shout, Yerina appeared, wrapped in bandages all over her body.
They both seemed to have lost consciousness similarly, so how does she look in better shape over there?
“When you’re badly hurt, your body’s recovery speeds up. It’s also a form of training, right, Ian? How about crossing the border with me?”
“… I’ll pass.”
As expected, Yerina was a formidable presence, whether before becoming acquainted or afterward.
While Ian carefully rearranged Danya and Lina’s heads from his legs to the bed, Yerina spoke up.
“Oh, by the way.”
“?”
“Sharon left after crying by your side. She said she couldn’t bear to see you.”
Ian blinked absentmindedly for a moment.
“True. I was surprised too. To survive in that condition. Palace priests are indeed different, no matter what. To heal such severe wounds in an instant. Though they say I need to rest.”
Well, of course, the healing part was impressive, but what really surprised Ian was something entirely different.
“… She cried? Sharon Pierce did?”
“She was sobbing.”
“Is that so…”
“She leaves a trail of tears wherever she goes. Ian, you must have wronged her a lot.”
…The guilt definitely leaned towards Sharon’s side.
It was quite surprising to see the haughty heroine in tears. Indeed, one sees a lot living for so long. No, come to think of it, not that long.
“She kept muttering apologies until she saw you starting to wake up, then left after basic medical care. She probably went to find Asilia.”
Ian looked out the window.
A crimson streak towards the north caught his eye.
Ian, who had been lost in thought, suddenly snapped back to reality.
“Ah, right. Master.”
Ian called out to Karen, who was still standing nearby.
“Hey, Karen. Can you find someone for me?”
“Who are you looking for?”
“Someone pretty, looks like they’re in their mid-twenties, up in the northern snowy areas? Large chest.”
Karen’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Ian elaborated a bit more on his mistake.
“A woman with thick, long blue hair and very pale skin. I don’t know the exact location, but she’s likely in a huge valley beyond the cave.”
“Yes. I’ll try to locate this person.”
Nodding, Karen walked away. Yerina then asked, looking at Ian’s eyes.
“Couldn’t you go look for her yourself?”
“Would it help in my condition? They’d find her first if I went. I’m not a search expert.”
Yerina followed Ian’s eyes and looked out the window.
She noticed a long trail of blood stretching towards the snowy field.
It was Sharon Pierce’s blood.
“You’re patient.”
Yerina chuckled softly.
“Kind and strong too.”
Yerina murmured.
“Yes?”
“It’s nothing.”
Ahem!
Yerina suddenly cleared her throat.
“So much has changed while you were down.”
“So much?”
Ahem!
Yerina cleared her throat again and shrugged confidently.
“Now I’m the Grand Duchess of the North.”
“Congratulations, Your Grace.”
“That title must be a bit burdensome for you. After all, most of it was your work…”
Yerina scratched her cheek.
“It wouldn’t be bad to call me Yerina if you want.”
“Just calling you by your name feels a bit awkward.”
Hmm.
After a moment of thought, Ian suggested something.
“Yerina-unnie?”
“…”
Yerina’s expression stiffened for a moment.
Was that too much?
“Are you angry?”
“No, I’m not angry. Just amazed.”
Amazed at what?
Yerina swallowed a sigh and tilted her head towards Ian.
“There’s much to do. You get back to your senses.”
The Pierce family must pay for what Richard Pierce did. Fixing things afterwards will not be an easy process.
It was Yerina Pierce’s remaining homework.
“… And I have to have a child.”
“That must be tough… Wait, what? You?”
Ian was taken aback by the sudden proclamation of the Northern Grand Duchess.
“Didn’t you know? The position of head of the Pierce family passes to the strongest child among the lord’s offspring.”
“Well, I knew that.”
“But if I don’t bear a child, the lineage will be broken. So, I must give birth.”
“Ah, but isn’t there… a bit more romantic or something?”
“Do you think there’s room for that in the North? I’ll soon return to the borders, not knowing when my time will come. It’s best to give birth as soon as possible.”
“Ah.”
Noble titles like a duchess entail considering political factors as well. It must be truly exhausting.
Anyway, it’s unrelated to Ian himself.
Ian went along with Yerina’s words appropriately.
“I hope you can meet the ideal type you want, Yerina.”
“My ideal type is the strongest person. To me, that is romance.”
“Okay.”
“So, I’d like to receive the seed of the strongest person, if possible.”
“May I introduce you to someone? Haha.”
Yerina grinned mischievously.
“No. But my ideal type has changed a little recently. Because someone was hitting on me.”
“…?”
“The person who will be the strongest won’t be bad either.”
Huh, why is she looking at me?
Beyond the bandages, Yerina’s thigh tightened as if angered.
“Come to think of it, Ian.”
“…Yes?”
“On the day we first met, I remember you confessed to me.”
Ian’s eyes rolled.
He had clearly approached Yerina to egg her on, but ended up confessing to avoid a crisis during their first encounter.
There’s no way she wouldn’t remember that.
Yerina smirked strangely and took a step closer.
“Well, that’s true.”
“You’re not going to tell me you confessed falsely, are you? If you did, you’ll pay a hefty price.”
“N-No! It’s just…”
“Then you’ll have to pay for seducing me.”
Yerina shed the garment she had draped over herself.
Her body, with beautifully toned muscles, was healthy and… no, that’s not it!
“L-Lina and Danya are here too!”
“They’re in mana exhaustion. They fell asleep after enduring, so they won’t wake easily.”
Thump. Thump.
Ian slowly backed away on the bed.
– Thud.
Unfortunately, his back hit the wall.
There was no escape now.
Yerina’s face came right up close.
“Ian.”
Her already red eyes were burning with either passion or intensity, or something else entirely.
‘Here it comes, I’ll be eaten.’
Cold sweat dripped down Ian’s forehead.
At that moment.
— Emergency! Patient fever critical! Rapid fluid loss detected! Emergency!…
An artifact placed on the table blared loudly.
Yerina grinned mischievously.
“The Third Princess seems to care quite a bit about you. She even left this artifact behind. Her face was quite a sight to behold too. I think she has a lot of things she wants to say.”
Saying that, Yerina got up from the bed.
“The North will always welcome you. If you ever need help, just let me know.”
The new Grand Duchess of the North left like that.
If he missed this place, he would come back when he was stronger.
Ian promised that.
Otherwise, he feared he might be devoured.
