“Ayaya······.”
“Just stay still for a moment, big brother.”
A soft puffball touched my face, making it sting.
Looking to the side, I saw Emilia seriously sticking a band-aid on my wound.
“I told you to look that way.”
“I got it.”
“Ah, really, what is this? I’m going to have a scar on my face.”
About two hours ago, the Papal Palace made a huge blunder.
At first, their plan to lure the Saintess out of the institution for assassination seemed credible.
The problem was, they apparently decided it would be hard to subdue Trie in a short time and tried to teleport her to the sky to deal with her.
Thanks to that, I managed to rescue Trie and interpreted the teleportation spell to go save Iris.
“How on earth did it come to this?”
“Iris’s mana ran out midway. Luckily, there were just a few small wounds left.”
“No, that’s not what I mean. How did you fight to get these kinds of wounds on your face······.”
“Honestly, I can’t really remember.”
“What?”
After discovering Iris bleeding and collapsed in the sky, my memory became murky.
I remember activating my internal circuits, but I have no recollection of the battle at all.
When I came to, the two Inquisitors were horrifically turned into meat chunks, sprawled out.
One strange thing is, even though Trie was a strong opponent who was trembling with fear, I didn’t get a single scratch.
Well, I did get hurt, but that was because of the mana energy I emitted, not from being pierced by their spears.
“You overloaded the circuit again······.”
“Looks like it.”
“From now on, no more overloading. Big brother’s body is getting damaged. If the Saintess wasn’t there then, you would have died right then.”
“Can I help it if it’s beyond my control?”
If I could suppress the overload, it wouldn’t be called an overload, right?
What could I do if I lost my mind in rage?
This character, which I painstakingly set up, is like my own child.
It’s natural I’d lose it if that character was about to be killed.
“So you really like the Saintess that much? To the point of risking your life to save her.”
“Of course. She’s basically an elixir vending machine.”
“Huh······.”
Among them, Iris was especially treasured.
She’s the best at healing magic in this world.
Moreover, her combat ability converges to zero, which makes it even more critical to pay attention.
‘No······. If she’s up against an Inquisitor, combat ability doesn’t even matter.’
Thinking that, Trie is indeed a strong opponent to the point of being intimidated.
I lifted my head to examine Emilia’s face.
Emilia is also evaluated to have combat strength above commoners.
But if she were in Iris’s place, she would have likely faced a result no different than Iris.
Thinking that, I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine.
“Uh?”
“Let’s hug for a moment······.”
I hugged Emilia tightly.
And felt her warmth, soft skin, and the rhythm of her heartbeat.
Just imagining that I could have lost Emilia was terrifying.
*Thud······*
At that moment, the hospital room door swung open.
The figure that appeared beyond was none other than the royal messenger.
I snapped back to reality, and Emilia had already released me, standing there with a cough, looking formal.
The messenger walked over and stood before me, saluting and beginning to report.
“From His Majesty the Emperor, a message to Your Excellency the Regent. The royal guard will be assigned to Saintess Iris von dem Flechette for protection, and we have conveyed our objections to the Papal Palace. That’s all.”
“I understand. You may go.”
“Yes!”
He saluted me, then turned sharply and left the hospital room.
With this, the royal family now had a complete justification to turn their backs on the Papal Palace.
The Monarch Principality, corresponding to the Papacy, is located within the Empire, so they can easily be crushed whenever they wish.
It won’t be long before the Papal Palace kneels.
“*Sigh······*. I want to get up now.”
“No way. The doctor said to rest some more.”
“My waist hurts.”
“Just stay seated.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“No? Not particularly?”
Nope.
Her face was clearly sulking.
I sighed and gestured to Emilia to come closer.
With a sigh, Emilia extended her arms to hug me.
The moment Emilia leaned towards me, I grabbed the back of her neck and stole a kiss.
“Ugh······. What’s this all of a sudden·····.”
“Don’t you like it? Should I stop?”
“No······.”
*Bang!*
Just then, the door crashed open with a loud noise.
I thought it was going to break…
Startled, I turned back to see Aintz and Erica panting heavily.
Emilia, with a flushed face, had quickly returned to her modest posture.
“We defeated the Inquisitor, Schlus!”
“Aintz. There are other patients here, so can you keep it down······.”
Thanks to that, the hospital room became noisy.
They started asking questions about the combat style of the Inquisitor, but I had no way to answer, since I didn’t remember anything from that time.
If anyone should be asked, it’d be Trie.
Speaking of which, Trie seemed to have already visited while I was in a coma.
Leaving just a note behind.
– I’ll come back stronger.
That was it.
Ending with just that without saying where she went or anything.
It seems the shock from getting crushed by the Inquisitor was pretty significant.
What about the invitation to Edengard for the break?
“Didn’t you tell them where you were going?”
“Nope. Not at all······.”
“At least show your face last time. Seriously, you’re such a cold and stiff knight.”
To leave without saying even the destination!
She seems to have made up her mind to train hard.
If Trie genuinely commits to training, she will surely return much stronger in a short period.
It’s disappointing that an immediate deployable asset is reduced, but it’s certainly not bad news.
I just hope she doesn’t come back injured from overexertion.
“By the way, where’s Iris?”
“The Saintess went to rest, saying she suffered mana exhaustion.”
After those who caused such a ruckus in the hospital room left.
I finally recalled the moment just before I blacked out.
When I was enveloped in Iris’s embrace, my eyes closed.
I distinctly heard her touch my wound with her warm hands.
I love you······ said those words.
‘It wasn’t misheard, was it?’
Flechette is a powerful family both militarily and financially.
Excluding the fact that their position in the magic community has been somewhat unstable recently, they are probably the most complete among the three great magical families.
So from Flechette’s perspective, there’s no need to go out of their way to involve me.
That would only provoke Lichtenburg and Wiegenburg, and it’s clear they’d be heavily pressured.
Blocking me from falling into the hands of other families would be the optimal scenario for Flechette.
In that situation, Iris confessed her feelings to me.
With no roundabout expressions, just love.
Of course, Iris’s confession wouldn’t be representative of Flechette’s intentions.
It’s definitely not a joke.
It’s unlikely she’d be trying to deceive me either.
Then the only remaining possibility is just one.
She truly harbors feelings for me, Schlus.
‘What a dunce······.’
I should have caught on earlier.
When Iris came to see me, claiming she wanted a day as a couple, I should’ve realized.
Iris isn’t the type to act impulsively.
I know full well that she wouldn’t approach some random guy without feelings; why didn’t I connect the dots?
“*Sigh······. I need to get some fresh air.”
I climbed out of bed and threw on a coat hanging on the wall.
Just then, Emilia hugged me from behind at the waist.
“That’s a lie. You’re going to see the Saintess, right?”
“Yeah. I need to talk.”
“You’re not just going to say thanks, right?”
“Maybe.”
“Are you thinking of marrying her?”
“······.”
Iris had brushed it off as a drunken confession and told me to forget it.
But I absolutely couldn’t do that.
It wouldn’t hurt at all to bring Flechette or any family on my side.
If I dally with my answer, it might be interpreted as a rejection.
So I had to meet Iris as soon as possible.
“If possible, I’d like to.”
“I see. For the final decisive battle, you need as many allies as possible. That’s the only reason, right? Right?”
“Well······.”
I couldn’t say that was the only reason.
If I were to be honest, Iris’s body is part of the objective too.
No matter how much I consider her a character I created, akin to my child, I wouldn’t be human if I felt nothing looking at Iris.
Anyone who could treat her purely rationally is either not a man or an eunuch.
But the truth is, Iris’s physical body is just a plus, not the main goal.
At that moment, Emilia’s grip around my waist tightened even more.
This won’t do······.
“Is the Saintess really that much better?”
“Yeah······.”
“More than me?”
“Just a little more······.”
I couldn’t say that I prefer Iris’s body over Emilia’s since she’s still a minor.
Someone who claims to prefer bigger breasts is a pervert, but someone who prefers smaller ones is seen as dangerous.
Then the arms wrapped around my waist slowly slipped down.
“Really? I’ll support you. I hope it goes well.”
“Emilia.”
“Then I’ll go do the household chores I’ve been putting off!”
Emilia quickly fled the hospital room.
With a heavy heart, I finished getting dressed and left the hospital room.
Of course, Emilia had already disappeared after exiting the hospital.
‘What am I going to do now?’
After talking with Emilia, my concerns only deepened.
Am I in love with Iris?
Well, maybe I feel lust, but love is still something I’m unsure about.
It’s more accurate to say I cherish her.
So even if I promise to marry Iris, I absolutely can’t do it in a way that deceives her.
At the very least, she deserves a chance to choose, just like Emilia did, knowing everything.
I need to show her how little I care about others’ feelings and just how much of a trashy bastard I am when it comes to achieving greater goals.
‘Right. I’ll tell her everything.’
I steeled my resolve and left the hospital.
.
.
.
“She really likes you more than me······.”
In the Chairwoman’s Residence of the Imperial University.
As Emilia closed the front door and walked in, her legs gave out, and she sank down.
She had a vague idea of it.
It was only natural.
As a commoner, it’s inevitable that he would have more affection for a noble and Saintess like Iris.
It was a fight that simply couldn’t be.
There must have been a gap so vast that there wasn’t even a hint of regret or longing left.
“Then why am I so angry······?”
Emilia suddenly shed tears for reasons unbeknownst to her.
