I explained to the innocent question of the holy knight using an easy analogy.

“Is there anyone who can extract a lion’s tooth without waking the sleeping lion? It’s like that.”

After finishing the explanation, I straightened up from my bent position where I had been examining the glistening secretion.

Then I comforted Pritt and the knights who were showing slightly disappointed looks.

“Anyway, it’s illegal to collect anything from inside the rift without permission. Of course, it’s also illegal to profit from what you collect. So let’s not be too disappointed.”

Why would Caroline be arrested?

It was clearly illegal to pick up something from inside the rift and sell it.

So I, who had informed them well of this fact, led them to another area.

I was curious to see more of it myself, but if we didn’t hurry, the day would be over.

Several horses galloped out, pounding the ground.

On the pitch-black horse leading the charge, a pitch-black man sat holding the reins.

Under the pale light scattered by the moon, he continued to cross the wide fields.

Spraying oil on mushrooms turned out to be harder work than expected.

Scoop up the oil.

Spray the oil.

Move and repeat the same task.

Though it was such a simple task, repeating this hundreds of times made my arms and legs start to ache.

By this point, feeling a bit sorry for Pritt, I carefully apologized to him as he was spraying oil beside me.

“I’m sorry.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m sorry for bringing you to such a labor-intensive site. Your Holiness must have expected a comfortable rift conquest like a picnic…”

At the Grand Temple, I had compared the rift conquest to a picnic to persuade him.

In reality, no conquest was anything like a picnic, but if I hadn’t said that, Pritt seemed like he wouldn’t guide me to the rift.

Thanks to that, we were able to come to the rift together, and fortunately the rift itself was the kind that just required caution, but I still felt bad for Pritt.

It felt like I had tricked him, so to speak.

…Well, I had actually tricked him.

So while I was feeling apologetic, Pritt gave an unexpected response.

“No need to apologize. I’m enjoying this more than ever.”

“…You’re enjoying it?”

Scooping up oil and spraying it on the monsters all around – he found this enjoyable?

I couldn’t understand his standard for ‘enjoyment’.

Or was he telling a white lie for my sake?

I glanced at his expression, trying to discern his true feelings, when he answered as if reading my mind.

“It’s not a lie. I’m truly enjoying it. It’s like watering pretty flowers.”

“…”

“Above all, because I’m with Yulia.”

“…”

What we were spraying oil on were not pretty flowers.

They were vicious poisonous mushroom monsters.

Yet Pritt was saying he was enjoying it.

He said he was enjoying this hard labor because he was doing it with me.

“…”

For a moment, I didn’t know how to respond.

It was always difficult to deal with someone who sincerely expressed their feelings towards me.

He liked me this much, but I was only using him – this fact suddenly made my heart ache.

Is this really okay?

Isn’t continuing to hide my true feelings ultimately cruelly toying with him?

So after much deliberation, I decided.

I too would reveal my true feelings on this occasion.

“Your Holiness said you have feelings for me, right? Were those words truly sincere?”

“As I’ve said repeatedly, they are sincere. More sincere than anything else.”

“Then what if… I already have someone I care for? What would you do?”

He suddenly stopped his motion of spraying oil.

But it was only for a moment, and soon he moved his hands again as if nothing had happened.

“That’s alright.”

“It’s alright?”

I asked in surprise, and he nodded.

“Originally, feelings of affection for someone… are very difficult to have reciprocated. There’s no guarantee that the person I care for will care for me in return.”

“…”

“That’s why a mutual love where both people want each other is truly a miracle worthy of blessing.”

I nodded quietly in agreement.

His words were right.

I too had the experience of loving Ernant for a long time without having that love reciprocated.

As I was nodding, Pritt quietly continued speaking.

“Of course, I would be sad if Yulia loved another man instead of me, but I would still congratulate you. That’s the way of love I’ve chosen.”

I thought anew that he was truly a strong person.

Sometimes he could be strange and foolish, but apart from that, his inner self was solid and mature.

Isn’t it a much more complete form of love to give your heart to someone unilaterally without expecting anything in return, rather than showing twisted violence and obsession when you can’t get your feelings reciprocated?

That’s why it hurt my heart even more.

As someone who had no choice but to reject his feelings.

“Yulia.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

“Do you love Duke Martin von Habicht?”

I hesitated a little before asking him.

“…Since when did you notice?”

“Since that time under the night sky when Yulia said she was worried about him more than anyone else.”

Since I had already decided to reveal my true feelings anyway, I answered honestly.

“Yes. It’s as Your Holiness says. The truth is, I have feelings for the Commander. It’s definitely not loyalty or respect as a subordinate. It’s a deeper emotion.”

“…I see.”

There was an undisguisable bitterness in Pritt’s voice.

I remained silent, waiting for his response.

Having confessed his affection for me, and now hearing about my feelings for another man, I thought he might give an unpleasant reaction.

But Pritt was a mature person. He had always been, and he was this time too.

“I hope Yulia becomes happy.”

That was his response.

Even though he learned there was no way to have his feelings returned, he did not resent me.

He did not burden me by expressing the pain in his heart from my rejection.

He simply wished for my happiness.

Suddenly overcome with emotion, I bit my lip hard before responding in kind.

“You too, Your Holiness. I hope you’re always happy.”

We smiled at each other.

Even if it was a bitter smile, we didn’t show tears until the end.

I thought the day would pass safely like that.

The terrible accident occurred when I was being careless with such an easygoing mindset.

“Ahhh!!!”

A scream rang out from somewhere.

Pritt and I rushed to where the scream came from, competing to get there first.

And there, we finally witnessed a horrific scene.

Gurururuk!

The awakened mushrooms were spraying poison on one of the holy knights.

The knight had already collapsed, and in his hand was clutched a white ore that looked freshly dug from the ground.

Having immediately grasped what happened, I informed Pritt.

“He must have touched the ore! They’re starting to wake up!”

I had strongly warned them not to touch the ore connected to the mushrooms.

It seemed one of the holy knights couldn’t resist the temptation and touched it.

If so, he was already beyond hope.

Having been hit by the mushroom’s poison at close range, he would have died instantly.

The situation wasn’t relaxed enough to tend to someone beyond hope, so I immediately shouted to Pritt.

“You must escape! I’ll buy some time, so Your Holiness should get away in that gap!”

“But Yulia, you—”

“There’s no time! Hurry!”

Just then, another holy knight who seemed to have sensed the commotion came running towards us.

I lifted Pritt up and entrusted him to that knight.

“Quickly take His Holiness outside the rift!”

“Yes!”

The knight who took Pritt on his back immediately started running towards the direction of the rift exit.

I could hear Pritt, who was being carried away half-forcibly by the knight, calling out to me anxiously.

“Yulia! No! Yulia!!”

I deliberately didn’t look back even though I heard him calling me.

I focused my gaze only on the newly awakened monsters and started drawing up my ability.

There was no time to cut them down one by one.

So I drew up my ability to the maximum and started using it to freeze the nearby mushrooms over a wide area.

Gurururuk—!

Guruk—!

As I froze the mushrooms, the speed at which they spewed poison temporarily slowed down.

By that time, Pritt seemed to have already escaped outside the rift.

Thinking it was fortunate, I continued to spread the cold air, and the mushrooms started to slow down even more.

At this rate, I might be able to escape safely too.

…It was the moment I felt relieved.

My vision suddenly blurred.

“…!”

My sight became hazy.

At the same time, dizziness rushed in, and strength drained from my body.

I knew what these symptoms were.

Poison.

These were the symptoms that appear when inhaling the deadly poison of the mushrooms.

Translation complete. 100% of original text translated.