Ibelin Could Barely Breathe and Watched Him in Silence

Chapter 53

"......Huh?"

What did I just hear?

I doubted my ears, but the moment I saw Ibelin's expression, I hesitated.

The princess who had been talking about pride just a moment ago was gone, and in her place was only someone looking up at me with such a worried face she seemed on the verge of tears.

'Wait, why is she overreacting this much?'

The person who had been striding off coldly, as if it had nothing to do with her, just moments ago.

Regardless, Ibelin grabbed my arm and pulled hard.

"I heard you're in really bad shape."

Uh... I'm fucking fine right now.

I'm really, really fine.

This whole disaster happened because I tried to hide the fact that I'd taken that precious high-grade potion from Lily.

I was trying to watch my words, and somehow ended up deceiving her.

"Ah. I'm sorry. It must hurt a lot."

Ibelin flinched and let go of my arm.

No, it doesn't hurt at all.

Her touch was so careful that I could clearly feel she was treating me like a fragile glass figurine.

Watching her, guilt began to creep up from a corner of my heart.

'If this conversation keeps going, the lie will snowball.'

I decided to bolt and quickly opened my mouth.

"I-I didn't mean it was so bad I'd collapse right away."

"......"

"I only wanted to convey my earnest wish not to incur Your Highness's dislike."

"I understand. I won't make you talk anymore."

Ibelin urged me again.

"First, let's hurry to my carriage."

"Huh?"

"No... How am I supposed to ride in Your Highness's carriage? I'm a man, Your Highness."

Why would I go out of my way to twist my own fate into some miserable mess?

"That's not what's important right now."

Then what is?

Ibelin's red eyes shone with firm resolve.

"If you're a patient, then naturally you should be treated."

"......"

"I'll ask Professor Wilhelm for permission, so let's head to the nearest temple first."

Ah.

I'm screwed.

The misunderstanding had already grown beyond control.

If word ever reached the princess that I'd actually gulped down the temple's high-grade potion and was fine by now?

She'd definitely get furious and think, 'How dare you humiliate me by pretending in front of the princess?!'

That would be a massive disaster I really couldn't handle.

I hurriedly waved my hands.

"I-it's actually really fine."

"......"

"I'm really, truly fine, and I think it'd be enough if I just went back to my own carriage and quietly rested alone. Could you be considerate of that?"

"......Are you really okay?"

"Yes. That doesn't mean it didn't hurt earlier, of course, but if I just go to the carriage and get a good nap, it'll all work out cleanly."

The way my words were just spilling out made them sound a little odd.

But what else could I do?

Better to force it a bit here than let it get even more tangled.

Fortunately, at my desperate protest, Ibelin bit her lip for a moment and seemed to think it over.

She still looked me over with a dark expression, as if it was hard to accept.

But soon she gave a small, resigned nod.

"All right."

Phew.

I lived.

Judging by her expression, she didn't seem to believe me completely and still seemed to be misunderstanding something.

Rather than try to clear up that misunderstanding any further, my instincts told me the best move was to run first and avoid creating any more of them.

"Then you don't need to escort me to the carriage, so please go rest right away."

Oh.

I forgot I was supposed to do that?

"Yes. I'm deeply grateful for your generous consideration."

I bowed and turned around without hesitation.

* * *

As soon as I returned to the carriage, I flopped flat onto the long cushioned seat.

The carriage grew dark after I closed every window and door.

"Ugh. This is fucking bothering me."

Why did the princess suddenly switch gears again and make me so tense?

I'm pretty sure this'll come back to bite me later.

This isn't something I can handle alone.

When I get back to the capital, I should ask the Viscountess Müller for advice.

What's the point of having a capable, cool older sister who buys you good meals if not for times like this?

I raised my heavy arm and stared at the back of my hand.

Sparkle, sparkle.

Maybe because the inside was dark, the specks of crap on the back of my hand looked even clearer.

They were much fainter than before, but glittery specks like dandelion fluff were still softly drifting around.

"This effect is seriously fucking insane."

Even a limited-edition skin you could only barely pull after a hundred-pull gacha wouldn't be this flashy.

Seeing it fade little by little, it looked like this effect wasn't going to follow me for the rest of my life, thankfully.

'This doesn't have some kind of side effect, does it?'

No matter how sacred and holy it looked, the reason I was seriously worrying about side effects was this.

"Haa... my body really is thrashing around."

Because an insane wave of sleepiness was crashing over me all of a sudden.

Right after I'd taken that high-grade potion from Lily, my body had felt almost like a brand-new product straight off the assembly line.

It had been as light as a feather and bursting with strength, you know?

Even while walking with Ibelin, nothing had felt especially different.

But by the time I parted with Ibelin and walked back to the carriage, sleepiness suddenly started rushing in.

'......This isn't dangerous, is it?'

It wouldn't be. Let's think positively.

Restoring a broken body is supposed to consume a huge amount of physical and mental strength anyway.

Maybe that fatigue was just arriving all at once after the fact.

"Ughhh. I don't know."

For now, let's sleep.

I even downed that ridiculously expensive potion. This must be part of the recovery process.

It's not like it'd suddenly go, 'Oops, my bad. You were supposed to die, but I accidentally saved you?'

I could no longer resist the oncoming drowsiness and slowly closed my eyes.

Maybe because the carriage was dark.

It took barely ten seconds for my consciousness to sink into deep sleep.

*

Inside the carriage, silence hung in the air.

Only regular breathing filled the space.

Cassian's face, sleeping soundly without a care in the world, was utterly peaceful.

But soon, a strange and chilling cracking sound rang out, breaking the silence.

Crack!

It began with the right index finger.

Cassian's sleeping fingers jerked upward on their own with a dry sound, like forcibly snapping a piece of firewood.

His joints bent at bizarre angles, then moved as if being forcibly realigned by an invisible force.

Crack! Crunch!

The ripple climbed up from his fingers, passing through the wrist and striking the elbow and shoulder in sequence.

The shoulder joint dislocated and then snapped back into place, producing a series of horrifying sounds.

For an ordinary person, it would have been the kind of situation that would wake them screaming and rolling around.

But Cassian didn't so much as twitch.

Instead, he merely drooled a little at the corner of his mouth and sank into even deeper sleep.

It was because of the energy enveloping his body.

Buzzzzzz—

A golden aura that began around Cassian's solar plexus was wrapping his entire body like a cocoon.

It was far too strange to call it a mere magical glow.

The golden aura swept over his muscles and bones like a living organism.

Groan, crack!

The sound of his spine straightening echoed through the carriage.

The golden aura gradually began burrowing through his skin and into his body.

The joints, ligaments, nerve bundles, and every gap between them inside his body were all being stained with golden light.

Truly a grotesque yet utterly sacred process.

Under his skin, bundles of muscles twitched.

Sssss—

Something like black smoke rose from his pores.

It was the forced expulsion of waste and toxins accumulated inside his body.

But before that murky energy could even disperse into the air, it was purified and vanished by the golden aura.

Thanks to that, the carriage filled not with a stench but with a refreshing scent like the dawn air in a forest.

Thud!

Then his heartbeat boomed like thunder.

A tremendous transformation was underway.

Swish-.

The curtain door of the tented carriage was being carefully lifted.

* * *

"......No matter how I think about it, I can't just leave it."

Ibelin bit her lip.

Trying to sit still made guilt pound at her heart.

That arrogant man even said he was going to roll over and beg for mercy.

Maybe it wasn't just him being dramatic.

"Your Highness, where are you going...?"

When Ibelin stood up, her maid Yelena hurriedly blocked her path in surprise.

But Ibelin's eyes narrowed coldly.

"Move."

"But Your Highness, there are other people's eyes on us..."

"For the rest of today."

Ibelin warned in a low voice.

"I won't allow any restraint on my decisions or actions. Don't argue. This is an order."

"......Understood."

Yelena bowed her head deeply, overpowered by the princess's sharp aura.

Ibelin moved without hesitation.

Tap, tap.

The sound of her shoes stepping on the dirt floor seemed unusually loud.

She could feel Yelena following anxiously from behind, but ignored it.

She was only heading for the oversized carriage tucked away in a corner of the lot.

When she reached the carriage, Ibelin hesitated for a moment.

Seeing that all the windows were closed and even the inner curtains were drawn, Ibelin became convinced that her hunch was likely correct.

If the reason they absolutely didn't want to show the inside wasn't the very reason she was imagining, then what else could it be?

However.

That place wasn't just enclosed; it was also off-limits to women.

Even a regular carriage would invite gossip if an unrelated man and woman rode alone together without being engaged or related.

Let alone that carriage, which was used not only as transport but also as a temporary residence.

If it were known that she, the princess, had gone inside?

She'd become perfect prey for the gossipmongers to tear apart.

'My reputation might take a hit, but...'

But.

'I can't hesitate for such a reason.'

He burned himself out for the people of the empire.

When such a hero is suffering alone in pain, what does something as trivial as reputation matter?

If he was in a dangerous state, she would have to drag him to the temple by the collar if necessary.

"Huu."

Ibelin took a short breath and lifted the curtain with a determined expression.

"Cassian, excuse me for a moment..."

And then, at that moment.

Ibelin's red eyes froze.

"......!"

She was left speechless.

What in the world was this scene she was seeing?

The carriage, which should have been pitch-dark, was filled with a golden light brighter than midday.

Crunch, crack.

The bizarre sounds struck her eardrums.

Cassian's body hovered slightly in midair, wrapped in a golden cocoon.

His limbs bent and straightened on their own, and something wriggled and surged beneath his skin.

A horrifying sight that would have made an ordinary person scream.

But Ibelin could tell instinctively.

"Th-this is..."

That light.

It was definitely magical power.

However, that energy was unbelievably pure and noble.

To the point where it even felt majestic at a glance.

It was breaking Cassian's body apart and reassembling it.

"Your Highness?"

At that moment, she felt Yelena approaching hesitantly from behind.

Ibelin reflexively raised her palm.

"Don't come."

She could hear Yelena's steps falter at the firm words.

But Ibelin had no spare attention for her maid.

She was entranced by the scene before her.

Ibelin gripped the curtain tightly again with trembling hands.

She had a premonition.

'This is... a sight no one should ever be shown.'

Fortunately, since the sun hadn't fully set yet, the faint glow inside the carriage wasn't leaking out.

Ibelin couldn't even breathe deeply as she quietly watched him.

A phenomenon filled with nothing but mystery.

Grnnk! Snap!!

Crack!!!

Buzzzzz—

Even as his whole body twisted, Cassian remained calm.

There was no sign of pain.

It looked as if he were being reborn while sound asleep.

'At least I can tell he's not in pain.'

Then all she had to do was stand guard and make sure no one disturbed this sacred rite until it was over.

How much time had passed?

Swoooosh—

The luminous strands of light wrapping Cassian's body slowly began to move.

It gathered in one place like a living creature.

Right at Cassian's mouth.

Through the slightly parted lips, golden energy swirled and was drawn in.

It was such a bizarre sight that it almost looked as if he were drinking in the light.

After the last strand of light was swallowed without a trace.

Cassian's body softly settled back onto the seat.

As if nothing had happened, he fell back into a deep sleep, breathing softly again.

Darkness and silence returned to the carriage.

Even after all the bizarre phenomena had ended.

Ibelin was silently keeping watch over Cassian.