* * *
After surviving what felt like a war, peaceful days returned, passing by in a blur.
Before they knew it, it was Zavad’s entrance ceremony.
At the same time, Ranshel’s act of being paralyzed came to an end.
Truthfully, he could’ve stood up even earlier, but Hans, with tears brimming in his eyes, insisted on keeping him in the wheelchair ‘just in case,’ leaving Ranshel no way out.
Standing in the mansion hallway, Ranshel twirled both his ankles.
He hopped in place, then even tried some tap dancing.
His body felt so light!
Humming a tune, Ranshel spun in place.
That’s when he came face-to-face with Zavad, who had just stepped out of the study.
“…What kind of crazy stunt are you pulling now?”
“Crazy? I’m just celebrating my recovery.”
Ranshel became bolder, maybe because he felt a little embarrassed.
“…Whatever. Just follow me.”
Zavad shook his head and led the way.
Ranshel scampered after him.
Once they arrived at the academy, Petro and Hans immediately left to negotiate with the school’s pharmacist to get medicine for Zavad’s mother.
Ranshel pushed the now-empty wheelchair along as he followed Zavad toward the academy’s chapel.
It was dawn, the world still cloaked in quiet.
Inside, kneeling in prayer, was Frey, the Saintess.
“We’ve come to return the item we borrowed.”
“…Oh my.”
Frey turned her head with a smile.
The wheelchair Ranshel had used was nowhere to be seen now.
That meant his baptism had been officially announced to the Empire.
He should be able to walk fine until his holy power ran dry.
The demonic curse—Zavad would take care of that.
After the revenge arc was over.
Ranshel rolled the wheelchair over to Danie, who stood nearby.
Danie bowed politely toward Ranshel, and Ranshel beamed back.
Frey took a step closer to Zavad and spoke gently.
“I hope this hasn’t caused you any trouble. You could’ve taken your time returning it…”
“Ah, I may have rushed a bit. I suppose I was eager, having missed the chance to see you for so long.”
…The story’s starting already?
Ranshel fidgeted with his fingers, eavesdropping on the lovers’ conversation.
“I couldn’t talk to you properly back then, so I didn’t even realize the item was damaged. If you’d like, I’ll compensate you for it. Please don’t hesitate to tell me.”
“Oh, damaged, you say…?”
Frey repeated, a faint crease forming on Danie’s brow.
Zavad spoke with apparent regret:
“One of my guards broke the item you lent us. Because of that, my attendant nearly got crushed by a carriage and even injured his hand. I sincerely apologize.”
“Oh my, that sounds serious…!”
“It’s fine. It was nothing. A cripple got a slight hand injury, that’s all. What matters is, you entrusted us with a precious item, and my attendant handled it carelessly. That’s the bigger issue. I’ve punished him harshly, so please forgive him just this once.”
Frey’s expression darkened. Ranshel tilted his head. Something’s… off.
“…It’s not something that breaks so easily. Maybe we neglected the maintenance before lending it to you. I’m truly sorry.”
“That’s impossible. The best craftsman in the Empire made that item. Neglect wouldn’t cause it to break. My guard must’ve handled it roughly. If luck wasn’t on our side, my attendant could’ve been gravely injured. Thankfully, it ended well. I doubt my attendant minds. He’d be honored just to borrow such a valuable item from House Berschal. But honestly… the more I think about how something that sturdy broke, the more baffling it seems. I’ll have to warn my guards again. Someone nearly died because of this ‘indestructible’ item breaking.”
…What?
Ranshel frowned slightly.
It almost sounded like Zavad was pressuring Frey.
But that couldn’t be—if they were lovers by now, the story should have him being much gentler…
‘…Wait!’
Ranshel quickly grasped the situation.
Zavad was still young.
In the original plot, they met again after he came of age, so Zavad probably handled things more skillfully then.
But right now, his inexperience was obvious.
Clearly, he wanted to get more entangled with the person he liked, so he was playing these little games!
Even if they were ‘lovers’ now, it was likely still a contract relationship driven by mutual benefit.
Zavad might’ve fallen for Frey, but maybe he sensed Frey didn’t reciprocate yet—hence the anxiety.
But still, this wasn’t how you go about it.
Poor guy.
Maybe because he’s still so young, he doesn’t know how to treat someone he likes properly.
If you like someone, you’re supposed to be good to them…
Even Ranshel, who’s never dated anyone, knew at least that much.
Look at that — Frey, who always smiled so warmly, is completely flustered right now.
As if tormenting him like this would earn you his attention.
“…I sincerely apologize. It’s utterly shameful that you had to go through such trouble because we provided the wrong item.”
“What are you saying? There’s no need to apologize. It’s our fault for failing to properly safeguard such an excellent item.”
Frey bowed his head, sweating nervously, but Zavad’s posture was stiff as ever.
He’d even kissed the back of his hand before, so why is he acting so cold at a time like this?
“More importantly, we should compensate for the damage to the item. Ah, coincidentally, there are some matters between our families that require discussion. It would be good to address this issue together at that time.”
“…No, what are you saying? Why would our families need to discuss this? Of course, we should be the ones to compensate. But first, we need to treat the injury. I may still be lacking, having only recently been baptized as a Saint, but I’d like to personally check on the servant’s condition. Once I’ve purified myself more, how about I see you again at this same time tomorrow?”
“No, what are you saying? How could we possibly use the Lady’s sacred powers on a mere low-ranking servant? Even if he nearly died while using your belongings and barely survived, it’s just a minor injury. There’s absolutely no need for you to concern yourself. More than that, I insist on compensating you, for the honor of the Pomel family. I’ll send someone to Vershel soon.”
“…No, it seems I was mistaken.”
Ranshel, who had been quietly observing the situation, flinched.
Frey, his eyes looking strangely sorrowful, glanced at him and then stepped closer.
“You’re hurt quite badly… we can’t delay treatment any longer. I’m really sorry. I’ll heal you right away.”
“Uh, th-thank you…”
Ranshel stood stiffly, unsure how to respond.
Frey gently took his hand with both of his, but then Zavad placed his hand firmly over theirs.
“How dare you touch a lowly servant so carelessly, my Lady?”
“…Physical contact is necessary for healing.”
“It doesn’t look good to others. Please finish quickly.”
“Yes, I’ll hurry…”
What the hell…?
Ranshel was dumbfounded.
It’s natural for a love interest to show affection to the heroine, but this level of jealousy… isn’t it a bit excessive?
He said he’d handle things on his own, but it feels like he’s only making it worse.
“God’s blessing upon you…”
The moment Frey murmured those words, a radiant light began to flow from their intertwined hands.
It was like watching the game brought to life.
It was fascinating, but Zavad’s persistent grip on top of their hands made it impossible to focus.
At this rate, anyone watching wouldn’t even know if it was Ranshel or Zavad being healed.
If Zavad wanted his bruised hand healed so badly, couldn’t he just go to Frey alone?
What are the three of them even doing like this…
As Ranshel blinked helplessly, a system notification rang in his ears.
[Main Character ‘Frey Vershel’s Unique Skill ‘Holy Knight’ has been activated!]
Ranshel’s eyes wavered.
It’s happening again.
* * *
