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Chapter 51
At Leonard’s shocking declaration, the room fell silent.
Only the chat window was going wild.
Wait, what the hell—
Did I hear that right?
He said he called her because he wanted to see her.
He said he wanted to see her, he said he wanted to see her, he said—
Elysia had pretty much the same thought.
What… what’s with him?
Had they ever made plans to meet?
Of course not.
It seemed like Leonard had just come up with something on the spot to save her. She could guess his intention, sure. But still—
Why on earth is he helping me?
Elysia glanced at the information window above Leonard’s head.
The interest level was still sitting at 50%. It hadn’t changed since the last time they met. That wasn’t affection or anything of the sort.
Some viewers who had followed her gaze and checked the stat let out sighs.
Bro… don’t give her those melodramatic eyes when you don’t even like her.
Passing by is someone who only invests in delisted stocks… lol
That’s a crime. I don’t care what anyone says, that’s a crime.
And amid all the chatter, a few foreboding comments appeared.
Uh, guys… Howell is glaring at Elysia right now.
LOL
He looks betrayed.
Ohhh, he’s mad, he’s mad.
Howell is glaring at me?
Even without turning around, she could feel the prickling stare on her back.
He’d been pestering her earlier—”Why is the Crown Prince here?” “Did you two plan to meet here?”—and now Leonard had just cemented that suspicion.
What am I supposed to do now?
It was a ridiculous situation to deny at this point.
Actually… it was rather convenient. If she wanted to avoid the temple’s suspicion, the most convincing story was that she’d come here because Leonard had called her.
If she played this right, her visit to the forest would become a matter between the imperial family and the temple, with the duke’s house excluded.
I’m not exactly sure what his intentions are…
Could she really let the Crown Prince hold her alibi? That might be the same as handing him leverage over her.
She lifted her head. She needed to choose her words carefully—enough to avoid fully confirming “he called me,” but still sound plausible.
Catching the Crown Prince’s faux-apologetic, gentle gaze, and the High Priest’s awkward expression, Elysia gave Leonard a smile.
“Can’t be helped, Your Highness. Still… thanks to you, no one got hurt.”
“That’s right. You have no idea how worried I was, thinking you might be hurt.”
Leonard responded naturally, as though he were truly concerned, glancing down at her hand.
“You really aren’t hurt anywhere, are you, Elysia? Your hand’s fine? The branches must’ve been rough…”
Just as he reached out, seemingly to take her hand—
Ssshhh.
A breeze swept past, splitting the space between them with a faint green glow. The effect was familiar enough to make Elysia flinch.
Magic?
It was definitely a magical effect. Since it didn’t seem harmful, she left it alone for now… but there shouldn’t be any magic users here.
As she frowned in suspicion—
“I didn’t expect to find you all gathered here.”
A new voice joined the scene.
Elysia suddenly remembered.
So Jerome came after all?
In the original, the temple hadn’t summoned only the Crown Prince. They’d called Jerome too. She’d thought maybe the story had diverged… apparently not.
Relieved to see a new person arrive to break the awkward atmosphere, she turned her head—
And saw an unexpected face.
A man with deep black hair and mysterious violet eyes. A magician, leaning casually against a tree, as if he’d appeared from nowhere.
“…Finn?”
It seemed she wasn’t the only one surprised by his appearance. The Crown Prince and High Priest both looked caught off guard. Finn spoke.
“Lord Deputy Tower Master couldn’t make it due to his schedule, so I’ve come in his place.”
…Ah.
So that confirms it.
The temple had called them both. Just like in the original, they’d gathered every faction—imperial family, mage tower—for the significant moment of the Saintess’s descent, not letting the temple monopolize it.
It made a certain kind of sense. Still, judging by the High Priest’s expression, he wasn’t entirely pleased.
“Why is it Sir Ende instead of Sir Plumen…?”
So Jerome didn’t come after all?
They’d summoned the Deputy Tower Master, only to get a mere archivist as a substitute?
Regardless, Finn smiled easily and gave a polite bow.
“It was unavoidable. The Deputy Tower Master sends his deepest, sincerest apologies.”
“…”
The High Priest didn’t answer, but Finn didn’t seem to mind, strolling over toward them.
“By the way, I heard someone might have been injured just now? May I take a look?”
Finn stepped naturally between Elysia and the Crown Prince. When he drew close, Elysia spoke without thinking.
“You know healing magic, then?”
She said it quietly, for his ears only.
From what she’d seen, that green glow had been the preliminary effect before casting a healing spell. She didn’t know it even caused the air to ripple… but perhaps reality was a bit different from the game.
At her question, Finn looked faintly caught off guard.
“…You saw that?”
Again, it was a whisper meant for her alone.
Right, other people can’t see the flow of mana.
It must have surprised him that she could. And to be fair, healing magic was rare—far more costly in mana than it was worth. That’s why healer characters existed; magicians weren’t meant to be healers. If you needed healing, you’d ask a healer or drink a potion—both far more efficient.
Which meant that in this world, someone able to use healing magic was—
Actually a pretty capable mage, huh?
She was jealous. She wanted to use healing magic too. Swallowing that thought, she nodded.
“Oh, I was just guessing.”
Reading mana flow and naming the skill outright would look suspicious. No need to flaunt it. She held out her palm to change the subject.
“I grabbed some branches and swung them around, but I’m fine. Not a scratch.”
“…Yes, it does seem that way. That’s a relief.”
After carefully examining her hand and finding no wounds, Finn looked up.
“Still, did you get hit anywhere or take any blows? It could get worse later.”
“Mmm, no, I don’t think so. I killed them before they could attack—”
Speaking lightly, she tilted her head as if it was nothing—then froze when she saw his expression.
His eyes were lowered seriously, brow slightly furrowed.
…Is he worried about me?
That was unnecessary.
It felt… awkward. She wasn’t used to anyone worrying about her.
When Jerome first met her, seeing her beat up magical beasts had only made him suspicious. In her first match with the Crown Prince, she’d so thoroughly overwhelmed him that no one had even thought to worry.
Even the High Priest—look at him, not lifting a finger after hearing she’d fought beasts. Wasn’t a priest supposed to care for people? Instead he’d just started interrogating her.
“It’s fine. I’ll have a doctor check later.”
In truth, she never had. The Duke had nagged her about seeing the household physician, but… in a mansion where poison appeared regularly, trusting the doctor wasn’t exactly easy.
Just as she shrugged awkwardly, a completely different voice cut in.
“Y-your leg! Check if your leg is okay too!”
“…What?”
Elysia turned in surprise. The Saintess, Prillien—who had been silent until now—was running toward her.
“You carried me earlier! The landing must have hurt—”
“Flying? I can’t fly. I just jumped lightly.”
“W-well, still!”
Without hesitation, Prillien reached for her leg.
“I might be able to heal you…”
She can heal?
Hadn’t she just said she didn’t know her, didn’t even know she was the Saintess, and had just followed the light?
Elysia narrowed her eyes.
Meanwhile, the temple attendants were murmuring.
“She truly is the Saintess…”
“To witness the Saintess’s blessing…!”
Elysia glanced at the High Priest. His expression hadn’t changed much, but… maybe it was brighter than before.
She asked Prillien directly.
“You have healing ability?”
“Eh? Ah… I don’t really know how to explain it, but… I just feel like I can.”
Her voice grew smaller as she spoke, her confidence waning. She darted nervous glances at Elysia, then lowered her head.
“Could you give me your hand? Then I’ll know.”
“…Seems like everyone wants to hold my hand today.”
Suppressing her unease, Elysia extended her hand. Prillien’s pale fingers gently clasped it—
And—
Paaaaah!
From where their hands touched, a radiant blue light flared.
“Oh my goodness!”
“By the goddess Frinis…!”
Ignoring the temple attendants’ fuss, Elysia observed the light closely.
A diagnosis skill.
She’d expected something grand from the Saintess’s power, but it was surprisingly similar to healer skills from Seros Saga. Which meant she could understand its effects just like any other skill.
As she turned that over in her mind, Prillien spoke slowly.
“Oh, your leg really is fine. No injuries at all…”
“Right?”
She’d known as much. Her status window was clean, her HP full. Nodding, she began to withdraw her hand—when Prillien’s brows knit slightly.
“But… have you eaten anything strange lately?”
“…!”
