“Hey, Matian. Can you stay still like this for just 10 seconds?”

At those words, Matian’s body visibly stiffened. His blue eyes flickered, as if asking what she meant by that.

It was understandable, since right now Rukna was being held in Matian’s bare arms while only wearing underwear and rags.

It was a situation that made her intentions quite questionable. Before the misunderstanding could snowball, she quickly added an explanation.

“I have a cramp in my leg, ugh. It’s hard for me to move right now.”

But unfortunately, she noticed her flustered hands were fumbling over his bare body.

“Ahhh, this wasn’t on purpose!”

She swore it wasn’t intentional.

She didn’t have the guts to grope his blood-soaked body, which resembled a murderous demon, like some hooligan.

Although she was still amazed by the firm and supple body that her palms touched.

“You can touch me.”

“What?”

What did he just say? Did she hear wrong? Rukna forgot about the cramp in her leg and hastily tried to pull away, squeaking.

Matian reached out his hand towards Rukna.

“Can I hug you for a moment?”

Unlike the shameless person who had groped her bare skin without permission, he asked for consent.

“Huh?”

“I’m going to hug you.”

Then, as if holding a child, he lightly lifted Rukna up.

With his long legs, he strode out of the collapsed pavilion.

Her cramped leg swayed in time with his steps.

‘Wait, this isn’t helping.’

Ugh, my leg! Rukna clung to Matian’s neck and groaned.

Each time, his shoulders also stiffened. That made the embarrassment double.

‘It seems like his pace is slowing down, is it my imagination?’

Right now, Matian was walking through a group of soldiers.

Even though in the end he had raised his sword indiscriminately like a crazed murderer, he was still the Weapon Master who had single-handedly defeated a huge monster with his bare hands.

The Noums looked up at Matian with a mixture of respect and fear in their eyes, then glanced at Rukna held in his arms.

She must look pathetic being carried in the arms of another man.

‘I want to ask him to put me down now…’

Rukna slightly twisted her body while watching Matian’s reaction, signaling that she would walk on her own feet.

However, Matian showed a perfect smile to the Noums and tightened his arm that was holding Rukna.

Meaning he wouldn’t let go.

‘Goodbye, my social dignity.’

Rukna buried her face in his shoulder to hide her embarrassed face.

Hoping they would remember that she had also performed quite well in the recent monster wave.

Of course, next to Matian who had pulverized the monsters like a blender, she probably looked like she was just waving around a fruit knife.

“Is that person a descendant of the hero?”

“He was scary but really amazing.”

Matian passed by the soldiers who looked up to him and headed towards the castle gate.

There were priests there taking care of the injured.

Jerome, the head priest who was standing at the forefront giving out work instructions, was startled to see him.

“My goodness, what in the world happened to you!”

You took a bath in blood, a bath. Jerome clicked his tongue and gestured at him.

Then the priests began to approach Matian and pour out holy power.

The number of priests, which had started as three, gradually increased to five and then seven.

“You fought so well without getting a single drop of blood on you, what happened! Lady Rukna must have been shocked too. Come this way. I’ll check your condition.”

Jerome draped a white priest’s robe over the shoulders of Rukna, who was held in Matian’s arms, and spread his arms to take her from him.

But Matian didn’t budge an inch.

“Young master?”

“…”

“Lady Rukna doesn’t seem to be in good condition either. You need to hand her over so we can treat her, right?”

Even with Jerome’s persuasion, Matian did not hand Rukna over.

Rather, his aura was as ominous as if he had encountered a thief coveting what was his.

“Hey, young master. Either smile or show irritation, pick one.”

Jerome spoke irritably to Matian, whose mouth was smiling but eyes were fierce.

He was trying to get the upper hand in advance because it seemed like it would become as annoying as attending to the high priest who was on a fasting prayer.

In the end, Rukna stepped in.

“I’ll go on my own feet, head priest.”

Rukna tapped Matian’s shoulder, asking him to put her down now.

But the two arms didn’t budge.

“Put me down, Matian.”

Rukna whispered in his ear once more.

“Okay.”

Only then did Matian reluctantly put Rukna down like a bear giving up honey.

All the while, he was guarding Jerome to the end with a picturesque smile.

“Oh my, you’re like a beast, young master.”

“A beast?”

“Your eyes look exactly like that right now. Don’t you agree?”

Jerome pointed to the fierce blue eyes staring at him and reported Matian’s behavior to Rukna.

“He’s just worried about me, head priest. Matian, you open your eyes properly too. Don’t make them triangular.”

“I’m not sure how. Rukna, explain it to me in detail.”

Matian, who had been wary of Jerome, lowered his head to meet Rukna’s eye level with a much gentler face.

‘Why is he acting like this? Is he still not fully back to his senses?’

Not only Jerome, but the other priests who were injecting Matian with holy power also observed Matian and Rukna’s reactions with interest.

Conscious of the gazes, Rukna roughly placed her finger on the corner of Matian’s eye and pulled it down.

Even though she had pulled down the corner of his eye in a silly way like a raccoon, his features were not funny at all and exuded a unique charm.

Haha. Matian laughed pleasantly in that state.

The surroundings that had been noisy also became quiet for a moment, and more gazes flocked this way.

“You’re pretty good at this.”

Rukna quickly removed her hand from him.

“Thanks to you.”

“What thanks. I need to go get my wounds treated now.”

Rukna turned her steps towards the break carriage being used as a treatment center.

“Rukna, together…”

“You can’t.”

At that moment, Jerome firmly blocked Matian. Then he placed his hand on Matian’s solar plexus to check his energy.

As expected. His condition was more serious than it looked.

“You have to stay here, young master. You know the reason, right?”

Jerome shouted at the priests who were organizing medicine bottles to come two more people here!

Perhaps it was because he had cut down monsters tainted with black magic.

Even with this many people pouring out holy power, there was no sign of improvement at all. How was he maintaining consciousness?

‘Did Lady Rukna calm this down all by herself?’

How in the world? Jerome glanced at Rukna, who was wiping blood off in the break carriage and treating her wounds.

‘It might be better to ask for treatment now.’

But Rukna also looked like she would collapse at any moment. She would also need recovery to use holy power.

‘For now, we’ll have to endure on our own.’

At that moment, a priest called him with a pale face.

“Um, excuse me, Jerome. The young master’s condition is strange.”

“What do you mean strange?”

Jerome raised his head again.

“I, I think the young master is absorbing my holy power.”

The priests who had exhausted their holy power in the meantime were sitting on the floor, groaning in pain.

There were only two left. Even they had ashen faces.

“What do you mean…”

Suddenly Jerome frowned with one eye.

He felt the holy power being sucked into Matian through the palm he had placed on his solar plexus.

“Ugh!”

Startled, Jerome quickly removed his hand and examined Matian.

He was standing still like a stone pillar with his head bowed.

“Young master?”

A chill ran down his spine for no reason. Jerome unknowingly took a step back.

“Young master Matian, get a hold of yourself.”

Even at his call, Matian turned his head in a strange direction. It was the direction Rukna had disappeared.

“I didn’t want to show you this pathetic sight… Is it fortunate?”

He muttered that with empty eyes, then closed his eyes.

His huge body tilted to one side.

Thud.

He collapsed to the floor, raising a cloud of dust.

Rukna quietly prepared to go to the temple.

〈If rumors spread that the hero’s descendant has collapsed in addition to the Golden Plains incident, the public sentiment will be shaken. We need to secretly transport the young master.〉

Instead of Jerome who couldn’t leave his post, she had to stay by Matian’s side in case of his seizure.

After packing her things and trying to leave the dormitory.

“Rukna Golden.”

Aaron called out to her.

Rukna hesitated for a moment. Then she took a deep breath and turned to Aaron with a big smile.

“What is it, Aaron?”

“You’re leaving early with Matian.”

Aaron didn’t know that Matian had collapsed. Only Jerome, Rukna, and some priests knew this.

“Something urgent came up so it turned out that way.”

“Are you… going to return to the academy?”

“I guess I have to?”

“How are you going to endure it?”

Aaron narrowed the distance with Rukna and stared at her with a complicated gaze.

Right now, he was indirectly pointing out that Rukna was a woman.

“En-endure what?”

“I heard Matian doesn’t have eyes? Are humans originally so dull? You’re obviously a human woman… ha.”

Aaron sighed, ruffling his bangs.

It was really ridiculous for him to say that when he had also thought of her as a man all this time.

“If I had known you were a woman, I wouldn’t have planted that seed with you. Companion ritual or whatever, it makes me unnecessarily concerned.”

“That ritual was something you did for me in exchange for pay. Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m saying I’ll be concerned whenever I see you at school from now on!”

“Then I’ll do my best to avoid you.”

“You really!”

Aaron took out the fine manual from his chest. He began to search for the crime Rukna had committed that made him feel bad.

Defamation? Insult? Fraud? False statement? Why isn’t there anything appropriate like this!

Aaron crumpled up the manual and threw it on the floor.

“Anyway, you’re guilty, Rukna Golden!”

He tapped an imaginary gavel in the air, then ran off somewhere. She wanted to ask about Mella’s well-being, but it was too bad.

‘No. I’m planning to see Mella separately next time.’

And Rukna headed to the edge of the forest where she was supposed to meet Jerome.

There was a small, ordinary-looking carriage that didn’t stand out. Although it was small in size, it seemed like it wouldn’t be too stuffy since there were windows.

When she got in the carriage, Matian was lying unconscious on the long seat.

He looked uncomfortable with his long legs bent, unable to stretch them out.

The priests must have washed him, as he looked much neater, wearing a white priest’s robe.

Over that, black harnesses were tightly wrapped around his body, which didn’t suit him.

A priest’s robe with harnesses. Wasn’t it quite a dramatic combination?

“What is that, Jerome?”

“It’s a holy item.”

Jerome answered brazenly.

“Does the temple handle such profane objects?”