TFBVH 31

Chapter 31

“Cough!”

A fishy smell of blood filled my mouth, as if I had truly fallen.
When my mind cleared, what I felt was intense muscle pain striking my entire body.

“Hngh…”

At the same time, a twisting pain in my organs made my whole body scream.

“Have you gone mad? You fed Bone Dragon broth to an ordinary person? Are you in your right mind?!”

Through the bursting pain, I opened my eyes and saw Davien and Lloyd kneeling on the floor.

“We only wanted to help her recover her strength…”

In front of them, the duke and duchess, faces red with anger, were scolding the siblings.

“Her internal injuries are too severe. I am holding on with healing magic as much as I can, but if the high‑density mana in the dragon bone seeps deep into her organs, anything beyond this will be impossible.”

I heard the old butler’s voice near my head.
When I turned slightly, I saw a familiar light beneath his hand.

Healing magic…
The parts of my body wrapped in light hurt a little less.

The door burst open, and a servant shouted loudly.

“The High Priest of the Terina Church has arrived! This way, Your Holiness…!”

Thank goodness.
Healing with divine power hurts less…

Seeing the priest’s robes of Terina Church, I gave a faint smile.
But the pain surged again, and my face quickly twisted.
The agony reached its peak, and I could barely understand their words—only distant murmuring.

When even that sound slowly faded, a bright light filled the room, and warmth spread through my body.
With a familiar, nostalgic comfort, the pain tormenting me gradually began to disappear.

* * *

The Grand Temple of Terina Church in the capital—
its highest floor was the private space of the High Priest.

The High Priest’s wide, gold‑shining room was far too luxurious and extravagant for a clergyman.

The elderly High Priest Grio, with pure white hair, stood on the terrace overlooking the vast capital, lost in deep inner conflict.

Because of an urgent letter sent from the House of Helderioz.

“Of all days… a summons from the ducal house.”

Grio frowned.

The temple was already in chaos due to the sudden appearance of a new apostle.

The apostle who had remained healthy for seventy‑five years had died suddenly, stirring the once‑stagnant temple into turmoil.

All the high priests were now fighting over the position of the new apostle.

And at the center of that struggle stood Grio, the High Priest of Terina Church.

Conflicts with the holy knight order and tension with the cardinals already gave him headaches.
Now the Helderioz matter was added on top—his head felt ready to burst.

If it were any ordinary noble house, he would have refused.

But this was the House of Helderioz.
Moreover, the request came from the duchess, a princess of the Kingdom of Rofmoa.

Most nobles in the capital already knew that large amounts of magic stones were being mined from the diamond mines owned by Rofmoa.
And the ducal house’s monster twins were rapidly rising in reputation through active conquests and by slaughtering monsters wandering from dungeons.

The crown prince was named as the next emperor—
but one never knew.
The twins also had royal blood and a claim to succession.

At that thought, Grio’s eyes shone darkly.

“They wouldn’t call me because of those monster twins…
Then perhaps the duke himself is badly injured?”

It was the perfect chance to place the Helderioz family in his debt.

After long thought, Grio reached a decision.

“I will depart for the House of Helderioz.”

Including the cost of the teleport scroll, he would squeeze as much benefit as possible.

He took out a scroll from his desk.
A greedy smile spread across his oily face.

But that lasted only a moment.

As soon as he arrived at Helderioz, he heard shocking news.

“W‑what did you say?
You boiled dragon bones into soup and fed it to her?”

They wanted him to heal a patient who had fallen into critical condition after eating soup made from dragon bones—
using divine power.

And not just any dragon—
a Bone Dragon.

Madness.
What lunatic would boil Bone Dragon bones and feed them to a person?

A Bone Dragon was a kind of undead monster—
spirits and grudges clung to the mana remaining in the dragon’s bones and moved it.

Even approaching it released powerful demonic energy and poison, killing armored knights.
Turning such bones into soup…
No matter how he thought about it, it was nothing less than poisoning.

He could guess who had thought of such insanity.

“Those crazy monster twins…”

Everyone in the empire knew who had brought back a dragon heart from the deadly Asenta Dungeon.

“If it’s them, they could probably swallow a dragon whole and digest it.”

Though he had come quickly by teleportation magic, he had spent too long worrying after receiving the letter.

The patient was probably near death.
Mana and divine power were not very compatible.
And dragon bones—called the strongest magical lifeform.

Even with Grio’s divine power, could he remove the dense mana already absorbed into the body?

“I shouldn’t have come.
I won’t be able to save her.”

Even as he entered the patient’s room, despair filled him.

“The High Priest of Terina Church has arrived! This way!”

A servant hurriedly opened the door.

“I, Grio, humble servant of Terina, greet the head of House Helderioz.”

After bowing deeply and entering, he found chaos.

The duke and duchess were furious,
and the twins were kneeling before them, being scolded.

“What in the world happened here…?”

Grio quickly examined the situation.

On a nearby bed, the Helderioz butler was using healing magic on a woman—likely emergency treatment.

“A woman?”

All nobles in the capital knew that Lloyd, heir of Helderioz, had a severe aversion to women.

He ignored every noble lady except his own family.
Because of that, a famous fortune‑teller had even predicted that no more babies’ cries would be heard in the Helderioz house.

Yet here was a woman inside the ducal residence.

He would need to investigate later.
Even trivial information could become a hidden card someday.

“Your Holiness, here.”

The butler urgently called him.

“She’s… still alive?”

Incredible.
Such stubborn life force.
It might be kinder if she died quickly, he thought—then looked at her face and froze.

“Is she… human?”

Shining white hair, skin like white jade, and breathtaking beauty as if carved by a god.

Sweat ran down her forehead, lips trembling in pain, rough breathing proving she was alive.

Then his eyes fell on the red necklace at her throat.

“Is that… the Tear of Terina?”

He remembered Davien boasting about bringing it from Asenta Dungeon.
Even when the church asked for the sacred treasure, he refused.

Who was this woman wearing such a relic?

At that moment—

Her red, shining eyes opened and met his.

White hair.
Red eyes.
A face so beautiful it stole breath.

In Terina Church, white hair and red eyes were symbols of a sacred creation of God.

Seeing her, Grio suddenly remembered an old friend—
a man who had never aged, who kept dazzling beauty for centuries…
a man who no longer existed in this world because of him.

He forced himself back to reality.

“W‑work first.”

Then she looked at him—
and slightly smiled.

Had she gone mad from pain?

But the moment he saw that smile, his heart pounded wildly.
The world spun.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

In his fading mind, whispers echoed.

—Kill her. Then she will be yours forever.
—Hehehehehe.
—She belongs to you.
—She will look only at you, want only you.
—Kihihihihi.

A disgusting, unknown laughter.

Yet his mind grew dimmer.

“Kill…?
Kill her…?
Yes… if it’s to have this woman before me…
I think I could kill her.”

His hand moved toward her neck—