Chapter 20
“Ughhh…”
Lily groaned in pain. Stuart quickly rushed to her side and supported her. But Lily shook her head. She was tired from maintaining her concentration, but not to the extent that she needed support.
She had begun using her holy power to protect the people in the training ground not long after the sparring had started. Every time Stuart and the Tower Master clashed, shards of magical energy flew everywhere.
If anyone got hit by mistake, they might end up having dinner in the afterlife. The knights ran around frantically. Among them was Brandler, who always looked like a beggar, but Lily deployed her holy power without hesitation.
“So this is why you brought me here… I understand now.”
Though panting, Lily spoke seriously. Stuart frantically shook his head.
“No, this was my fault for not thinking it through…”
He tried to check her pulse. Had he done it properly, he would’ve known her heart was beating just fine—but unfortunately, Stuart was too out of it to read her pulse correctly.
“You should go rest. I’ll take you.”
“Huh? I don’t need to rest.”
“Your face is pale!”
“That’s because I saw you got hurt…”
“I got hurt?! Can you move—no, never mind. Let me carry you. Let’s go. I’ll call a physician!”
“You’re really not listening to a word I say. Nothing I say matters, does it?”
Seeing Stuart’s pale face, Lily felt a mix of guilt and warmth.
What did she look like in his eyes? A porcelain doll that would shatter at a touch? He must’ve been deeply shaken when she nearly died trying to heal the Tower Master.
She felt a little sorry for the panicked Stuart, but at the same time… it made her feel oddly happy. Her heart was all over the place.
“I’m really not hurt, though…”
Muttering to herself, Lily relaxed and let herself lean against Stuart. As if waiting for this, he swiftly carried her out of the training ground. He was so fast that the mages even checked whether he was wearing some kind of legendary artifact, like the shoes of a wandering god.
“I regret we couldn’t determine a winner.”
The Tower Master smiled gently, hiding his arm—shredded by sword aura—behind his back. He had blocked Stuart’s blade, but the storm of sword energy that followed was too much, and some of it had gotten through.
It wasn’t entirely wrong to say it was unfair—at least for this match.
❀ ❀ ❀
“I’ll report the issue regarding the mana enhancers to His Majesty first.”
“Yes.”
The mood in the drawing room was artificially cheerful. The mages’ faces were visibly brighter, while the members of the ducal family all looked gloomy.
The sun shone warmly, obliviously, and the Tower Master closed his eyes as if to enjoy the sunlight.
He was clearly going to be severely punished once the report reached His Majesty, yet he didn’t seem the least bit concerned.
“As for sending knights to the Tower, we’ve received the knight’s personal consent.”
It was about Lily. News had already spread among the mages that Lily had agreed to visit the Tower to heal the injured. That’s why the mages were in such a good mood.
“However, resolving the mana enhancer issue takes priority.”
“Of course. We will fully cooperate to resolve it as quickly as possible.”
The Tower Master nodded cheerfully. A few months wait was nothing, as long as Lily agreed to come. The mages felt the same.
“First, please provide a detailed list of those under curses, along with the types of curses they’re afflicted with.”
The Duke spoke firmly.
“We also find it extremely regrettable that you didn’t disclose it was a dragon’s curse earlier. This time, we expect no false information.”
Behind the Duke, Stuart looked like he wanted to strangle the Tower Master. While the Duke remained composed, Stuart was clearly emotional.
The Tower Master smiled behind his teacup.
“I apologize again for that. It was my oversight.”
Lily had nearly died. Stuart still vividly remembered watching helplessly through a transparent barrier. Yet the Tower Master brushed it off with a simple “my bad.”
For trash like him, Lily going to the Tower herself felt far too generous.
‘They should be calling the High Priest instead.’
They had obediently paid off the High Priest with mana enhancers without complaint. And now they were asking a still-recovering Lily to heal them?
Under the table, the Duke clenched his fist. He disliked the Tower Master just as much as Stuart did.
“Shall we discuss compensation now?”
Lily had left the matter of compensation to Stuart after giving it some thought. When asked if there was anything she wanted, she replied:
“If you’re asking whether I lost a gold coin or a silver one… then the right answer is probably to say I lost a copper one.”
No one really understood what she meant, but it was clear she wasn’t trying to wring out some meaningless reward.
To the Duke, to Stuart, and especially to the Duchess… that man had driven their precious benefactor to the brink of death. He needed to pay a price—and feel the risk that came with it.
The Duke laced his fingers calmly.
❀ ❀ ❀
From early morning, birds chirped sweetly outside the window. Lily woke up about thirty minutes earlier than usual and opened the curtains. From the terrace, she could see the gardeners already tending to the grounds, bowing low as they worked.
Lily stepped onto the terrace and shouted, “Good morning, everyone!”
The gardeners glanced at her like she was strange, but no one could ruin her mood today.
It was a refreshing morning. Lily wore fluffy slippers and the new clothes the Duchess had given her—a poet shirt and black trousers, similar to what Stuart usually wore. On Lily’s long legs, the pants fit perfectly.
When she entered the dining room in her new outfit, she spotted Brandler and his cronies twitching their mouths at the sight of her. But nothing could bring Lily down today.
“I should’ve told you earlier. Sorry for the delay.”
Yesterday, the Duchess had visited Lily’s room personally. She brought several outfits, saying Lily’s training clothes didn’t seem to fit.
“It took some time to find a proper house for you.”
“Huh?”
“It’s silly to call it a reward, I know. Nothing I give you can truly repay what you’ve done.”
With tears welling in her eyes, the Duchess tightly held Lily’s hand.
“I couldn’t find a suitable house, so I just bought some land instead. I left the blueprint to someone reliable, and once construction begins, it should be finished in about a year…”
“Wait, what?”
“You should take a look at the documents first, right?”
And what she handed Lily was… land. A deed. In Lily’s name. And she planned to build a four-story mansion on it—all for Lily.
“When the mansion is done, I’ll assign someone to manage it. Stuart mentioned you like gardens, so I’ll get you a skilled gardener too…”
The Duchess landed the final blow. Lily swore eternal loyalty to the ducal family on the spot.
Her dream had been to save up and buy a tiny home of her own one day. And just by using a little holy power, she got an entire estate.
‘Was the High Priest an idiot or what?’
To think he could only get 300 gold from her power. She couldn’t help but scoff. He fawned over losers like Count DuPont while failing to recognize a real treasure. The memory made her laugh.
But today’s dining room felt a bit off. Recently, Stuart had instructed that Lily’s meals be sent to her room due to her illness, so she hadn’t mingled with the knights in a while. Only now did she realize something was different.
Usually, this time of day would be a bit noisy, but today there was clear tension.
‘Did something happen?’
She wasn’t close enough to anyone to ask, so after finishing her meal, Lily ran to the vice-captain. He looked weirdly preoccupied and groaned at her question.
“Aigo, I forgot to tell you, didn’t I?”
“Something did happen?”
“Oh, yeah.”
‘…Is someone getting kicked out?’
Holding on to a faint hope, Lily waited for him to continue.
“It’s our annual event. The hunting competition is scheduled for early next month.”
Hunting competitions were held every year, both in the North and in the capital. But the meaning behind them was completely different.
In the capital, it was just a noble pastime. Though hosted by the Imperial Family, it wasn’t mandatory, and the same few people showed up every year.
To Lily’s knowledge, the Yvonne Duchy had never once been on the participant list.
“So that means… there’s only two weeks left?”
“Yup.”
In contrast, the Northern hunting competition was a tradition of the Order of Guardian Knights.
Because magical beasts were more active in the cold, they became dormant in spring. That was when wild predators began to stir—and to protect the people of the territory, the hunting competition was held.
“The person who catches the biggest beast, and the one who catches the most, each get a prize…”
“Wait, Vice-Captain… am I participating in this?”
“Of course, kiddo. All knights join.”
“B-but I’m going to get eaten!”
The North was known for its bears and wolves. Lily couldn’t imagine surviving an encounter with either in the forest. Her holy power could save others, but it couldn’t protect her own body.
“Why would you get eaten? You can do it. You’ve trained hard!”
‘Ah, I’m doomed.’
No wonder everything felt unusually lucky today…
