Damia saw this and was so shocked that she couldn’t even cry. At this moment, she knew clearly:
If Akkard had not sacrificed himself, it would have been her father who would have suffered this. And unlike him, her old and frail father would never have been able to survive the torture.
“Is-is he alive?”
He was a man who fell in love with her. The agony ripped her heart as Damia asked while holding the doctor with a trembling grip.
“He’s not going to die, is he? Please, tell me… … .”
The doctor clicked his tongue when she saw her pale as if she were about to faint at any moment.
“He has such a strong constitution, so he won’t die. But it will take quite a while for him to heal.”
The doctor added a few more words, saying that there was a high possibility that pain and trauma would remain. Damia, who had listened to those words blankly, asked about the part that worried her the most.
“Eyes—what happened to his eyes?”
“He was stabbed by a contaminated blade. I’ll do my best, but I’m not sure if he’ll be able to see like before… … .”
Recalling his bright eyes shining like amethysts, tears ran down Damia’s face. She knew that she had no right to cry, but she couldn’t stand it, her raging emotions were about to explode.
“Unnngh, uhhh… … .” [sfx: crying]
She sat down next to his bed and sobbed as she buried her face in the sheet. She was so grateful that Akkard came back alive but she was also heartbroken and wretched that he was in such bad condition.
When he heard her cry, Akkard’s fingertips, which had been still started to twitch.
“… … Dami, ah.”
His cracked voice sounded closer to a knife scratching the floor rather than a human voice. It must have been difficult even to call her name, so he burst out into a bloodcurdling cough.
“Cough, co-cough! Cough!!”
After coughing a few times, he vomited blood. Damia saw this and cried out in horror.
“Sir Akkard!!”
Astonished, she reflexively reached out and wiped the blood with her hand. Then, a healer rushed to the scene, read Akkard’s pulse, and let out a sigh of relief.
“He’s just draining the blood that’s left in his lungs. Rather he is now better.”
“It’s much better than having the blood staying inside,” the doctor added. But Damia was completely focused on Akkard in front of her so she couldn’t hear him.
“I-I’m fine… … So—no cry… … Cough— don’t cry.”
After finally managing to get the sentence out, Akkard tried to lift his hand. But his hand could only convulse a few times and then drooped helplessly.
‘Ah.’
Akkard smiled bitterly, belatedly recalling his tendon had been severed during torture. He wanted to wipe her tears away, but it was a pity that he couldn’t even do that.
Fortunately, Damia noticed his intentions and carefully wrapped her hands around his. Then she put his hand to her cheek and whispered as she shed her tears.
“Thank you. Thank you so very much.”
For saving my father. And for coming back alive.
* * *
“It seems to have worked out well,”
muttered Heinrich after he looked inside.
As always, his tone was cheerful, but his expression was not very bright.
At times he was indecisive, and at times he struggled because the road he had to travel on was too heavy. At those times, it had been Akkard would had supported him throughout it all.
Of course, Heinrich would not admit it even if a knife was held to his neck, but he was quite fond of Akkard in his heart. Such a subordinate followed his orders and came back in such a ravaged state that there was no way he could feel at ease.
‘Still, thanks to him, I am able to impeach the High Temple.’
Heinrich recalled that soon, there was to be a hearing on an unprecedented scale. Important figures captured in the Great Temple, including the real Saint Callistea, would appear there and accuse them of their crimes.
Starting with conspiring against Heinrich to weaken royalty, distributing drugs to southern nobles, imprisoning and brainwashing the Saint who resisted the Great Shrine’s schemes, creating ‘pollution,’ and using this to make the South barren.
The sins of the High Temple reached the sky. And after paying for all these wrongdoings, the temple would return to its original simple and faithful function.
‘And the stigma on my throne will be gone.’
However, as all this glory was obtained at the cost of Akkard’s blood, so Heinrich was uneasy.
He couldn’t take his eyes off the bed Akkard was lying in with a heavy feeling. Then, as if reading Heinrich’s mind, a clear voice echoed behind him.
“The kid will be fine. So there is no need for you to feel guilty, your Highness.”
It was a voice that made his worn-out heart swell regardless of time and place. As usual, when dealing with the master of that voice, Heinrich took a deep breath. And he looked back at her, wearing a smiling mask.
“Sienna.”
Sienna, who was half reclining on the sofa in the living room, was dreamy and mysterious enough to not look like a living person. Because of this, to his chagrin, when Heinrich had seen her for the first time as a child, he mistook her for a fairy and asked her to grant his wish.
In fact, Sienna, indeed, had amazing powers. But unfortunately, she did not grant his wish.
Because she was only his mother’s fairy.
Damia saw this and was so shocked that she couldn’t even cry. At this moment, she knew clearly:
If Akkard had not sacrificed himself, it would have been her father who would have suffered this. And unlike him, her old and frail father would never have been able to survive the torture.
“Is-is he alive?”
He was a man who fell in love with her. The agony ripped her heart as Damia asked while holding the doctor with a trembling grip.
“He’s not going to die, is he? Please, tell me… … .”
The doctor clicked his tongue when she saw her pale as if she were about to faint at any moment.
“He has such a strong constitution, so he won’t die. But it will take quite a while for him to heal.”
The doctor added a few more words, saying that there was a high possibility that pain and trauma would remain. Damia, who had listened to those words blankly, asked about the part that worried her the most.
“Eyes—what happened to his eyes?”
“He was stabbed by a contaminated blade. I’ll do my best, but I’m not sure if he’ll be able to see like before… … .”
Recalling his bright eyes shining like amethysts, tears ran down Damia’s face. She knew that she had no right to cry, but she couldn’t stand it, her raging emotions were about to explode.
“Unnngh, uhhh… … .” [sfx: crying]
She sat down next to his bed and sobbed as she buried her face in the sheet. She was so grateful that Akkard came back alive but she was also heartbroken and wretched that he was in such bad condition.
When he heard her cry, Akkard’s fingertips, which had been still started to twitch.
“… … Dami, ah.”
His cracked voice sounded closer to a knife scratching the floor rather than a human voice. It must have been difficult even to call her name, so he burst out into a bloodcurdling cough.
“Cough, co-cough! Cough!!”
After coughing a few times, he vomited blood. Damia saw this and cried out in horror.
“Sir Akkard!!”
Astonished, she reflexively reached out and wiped the blood with her hand. Then, a healer rushed to the scene, read Akkard’s pulse, and let out a sigh of relief.
“He’s just draining the blood that’s left in his lungs. Rather he is now better.”
“It’s much better than having the blood staying inside,” the doctor added. But Damia was completely focused on Akkard in front of her so she couldn’t hear him.
“I-I’m fine… … So—no cry… … Cough— don’t cry.”
After finally managing to get the sentence out, Akkard tried to lift his hand. But his hand could only convulse a few times and then drooped helplessly.
‘Ah.’
Akkard smiled bitterly, belatedly recalling his tendon had been severed during torture. He wanted to wipe her tears away, but it was a pity that he couldn’t even do that.
Fortunately, Damia noticed his intentions and carefully wrapped her hands around his. Then she put his hand to her cheek and whispered as she shed her tears.
“Thank you. Thank you so very much.”
For saving my father. And for coming back alive.
* * *
“It seems to have worked out well,”
muttered Heinrich after he looked inside.
As always, his tone was cheerful, but his expression was not very bright.
At times he was indecisive, and at times he struggled because the road he had to travel on was too heavy. At those times, it had been Akkard would had supported him throughout it all.
Of course, Heinrich would not admit it even if a knife was held to his neck, but he was quite fond of Akkard in his heart. Such a subordinate followed his orders and came back in such a ravaged state that there was no way he could feel at ease.
‘Still, thanks to him, I am able to impeach the High Temple.’
Heinrich recalled that soon, there was to be a hearing on an unprecedented scale. Important figures captured in the Great Temple, including the real Saint Callistea, would appear there and accuse them of their crimes.
Starting with conspiring against Heinrich to weaken royalty, distributing drugs to southern nobles, imprisoning and brainwashing the Saint who resisted the Great Shrine’s schemes, creating ‘pollution,’ and using this to make the South barren.
The sins of the High Temple reached the sky. And after paying for all these wrongdoings, the temple would return to its original simple and faithful function.
‘And the stigma on my throne will be gone.’
However, as all this glory was obtained at the cost of Akkard’s blood, so Heinrich was uneasy.
He couldn’t take his eyes off the bed Akkard was lying in with a heavy feeling. Then, as if reading Heinrich’s mind, a clear voice echoed behind him.
“The kid will be fine. So there is no need for you to feel guilty, your Highness.”
It was a voice that made his worn-out heart swell regardless of time and place. As usual, when dealing with the master of that voice, Heinrich took a deep breath. And he looked back at her, wearing a smiling mask.
“Sienna.”
Sienna, who was half reclining on the sofa in the living room, was dreamy and mysterious enough to not look like a living person. Because of this, to his chagrin, when Heinrich had seen her for the first time as a child, he mistook her for a fairy and asked her to grant his wish.
In fact, Sienna, indeed, had amazing powers. But unfortunately, she did not grant his wish.
Because she was only his mother’s fairy.
