Tiendavis - For Perfect Salvation - Chapter 26

Amanecer, who awakens the dawn, was a dragon with outstanding wisdom and insight.

He foresaw the typhoons endlessly spewed by the sea and played the role of preventing them from striking Tiendavis.

His breath was powerful enough to extinguish even typhoons, his wings were as vast as God’s veil, and his sharp eyes always pierced through the sky and sea to prepare for disasters.

The peace of Tiendavis was maintained under the protection of that great being.

So when it went mad, it could only become the most terrible disaster.

“Your Excellency, are you conscious?”

The boy opened his eyes at the voice of the deputy commander.

As always, they were empty eyes without focus.

The name of that boy, wounded all over his body, was Sion Laurel.

He was the current Count Laurel who had just fought Amanecer for the seventh time.

This time, he subdued Amanecer in twenty-one days.

It took two days longer than the previous engagement.

This was because the count, swept up in Amanecer’s breath, lost consciousness for half a day.

In the meantime, Amanecer pushed all the way to the front of Tardes Hall at the edge of the boundary, causing massive damage to the watchers.

They risked their lives in battle to bind Amanecer to this critical point.

The awakened count drove Amanecer back to the boundary and barely prevented annihilation, but it was after countless casualties had already occurred.

The deputy commander reported the damage situation with a heavy heart.

But the commander-in-chief merely nodded dryly and said he understood.

Sion, who responded like that, was fully aware of the situation surrounding him.

But he couldn’t feel any particular emotion about it.

He couldn’t even think of obvious thoughts like,

My subordinates died because I was powerless,

I’m afraid of Amanecer,

Am I going to die soon too?

Everything was blurry as if in a fog.

So rather, everything felt natural.

Facing disaster every time, his whole body breaking and shattering, people around him dying overnight.

It was all natural, without need for questioning.

So Sion was okay.

Even if he died fighting like this, even if another count immediately succeeded him, even if he was forgotten without leaving a trace of having lived in this world, it seemed it wouldn’t matter.

Just like the other Counts Laurel before him.

And on the day of the sixteenth battle with Amanecer.

Sion’s faint world suddenly came to an end.

“I have a request for you.”

By a man who came without any warning.

“It’s surely important to you too.”

Saying this, the man woke Sion up.

Then he told the confused boy everything.

Only after opening his eyes with his help did Sion realize he had been asleep all this time.

And what overwhelmed Sion, who had finally awakened, was not relief or sadness, but the anger that had been trapped all along.

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Thus, six years after regaining his senses without anyone knowing, Sion Laurel, who had tried to repay the debt to the man who saved him but failed spectacularly, was contemplating his future in a calm sense of defeat.

After preventing Ibi Ariate’s punishment, he came back down to Vis.

There was no room for further involvement with Ibi if he stayed in Tienda.

So he returned to his home in Vis for now, but just as he thought the village was noisy, an unexpected figure came looking for Sion.

“Hello, sir. We meet again!”

The one who greeted so cheerfully was none other than the renowned saint candidate, Ibi Ariate.

Sion, who had been reading a book in his room and opened the door at the sound of a knock, saw that bright face and his expression immediately hardened.

“……What brings you here?”

“I came to see you, Count.”

“I neither invited you nor gave permission for a visit.”

“You’ve come to our house without invitation or permission before, Count.”

Sion growled coldly as soon as he saw Ibi, but that edge no longer worked on Ibi at all.

Rather, Ibi provoked Sion with an annoyingly cheerful demeanor.

“May I come in?”

Saying this, she slipped under Sion’s arm resting on the door and invaded his room.

Sion looked in disbelief at Ibi who had entered his room.

As if she was done with that suspicious newlywed act, Ibi was dressed in a bright outing outfit one would see in Tienda.

With a dress in fresh colors and a matching ribbon tying her hair, Ibi was still pretty and cute like a doll.

But Sion was no longer fooled by that outward appearance.

Ibi’s eyes, pretending to innocently observe Sion’s room, were still sparkling in search of prey.

Meanwhile, Sion’s room that appeared in Ibi’s eyes was unexpectedly neat.

She thought it would be a mess like his nasty personality, but everything was well organized except for the books piled up next to the desk.

After looking around the room, Ibi smiled brightly and said.

“Let me thank you first. Thanks to you, I was able to avoid punishment.”

“Stop saying things you don’t mean.”

“You’re really consistent, Count. From when we first met until now.”

In other words, she’s saying he has no manners.

Sion frowned as he felt Ibi gradually climbing up.

“You seem to be under some misunderstanding, but just because you moved me as you wished once before doesn’t mean you’re above me.”

Just as Ibi knows Sion’s secret of being a teacher, Sion knows Ibi’s secret of the curse.

So it’s just a situation where both sides have to keep quiet, not where one side has the upper hand.

When Sion made this clear, Ibi spoke in a much more polite voice.

“You’re right, Count. I absolutely don’t think that I’ve caught your weakness or that I’m above you. I’m just……”

Ibi seemed to be obediently lowering her tail. But this was cute acting for her next words.

“I’m just the landlord of your house, that’s all.”

Sion couldn’t believe his ears.

“What do you mean by that?”

“It means I bought this house today. I look forward to your cooperation, though I’m not sure how often we’ll see each other.”

When Sion asked again in surprise, Ibi smiled cutely and held out a single document.

It was a certificate of purchase for a two-story house.

As Sion’s eyes sharpened at this unexpected situation, Ibi quickly took the lead.

“Don’t misunderstand. It’s a precious house to me too, so I bought it to keep the memories.”

Ibi explained, but Sion’s gaze did not soften.

“I have no intention of causing you inconvenience at all. Rather, I’d like to be on friendly terms with you, Count.”

So Ibi said again in an innocent voice.

Sion doubted the sincerity of those words, but realizing there was no need to ponder alone, he asked Ibi.

“Are you serious?”

“It’s a bit of a white lie. Just a bit, a tiny bit.”

Though her true intentions were exposed, Ibi wasn’t very surprised and added slyly.

So Sion forgot to sharpen his edge and unknowingly let out a sigh.

Even though he had just been thoroughly played by Ibi, seeing him make such a slip of the tongue, his guard naturally lowered.

As Sion’s eyes softened like that, Ibi said casually.

“We seem to be entangled in quite a few things, so wouldn’t it be better to get along well?”

Entangled in quite a few things.

That included Sion’s foreign travel, Ibi’s curse, rumors in Tienda’s noble circles, and even about the astrologer.

After bringing that up, Ibi asked in a lightly reproachful voice.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier that the astrologer who asked you to take care of me lived here?”

Sion had nothing proper to say.

So after pondering for a moment, he just answered honestly.

“I couldn’t say because you didn’t recall it.”

“So you should have told me first.”

“I thought he wasn’t an important person since I couldn’t predict at all.”

“You really choose only the words I want to drive away.”

The two who were exchanging words glared at each other for a moment, getting worked up.

After a while, Ibi was the first to soften her expression and asked.

“Where is the old man now?”

Sion did not answer.

“Is he at least alive?”

So when she asked again, he slowly answered after a long time.

“Probably.”

At those vague words, Ibi tried to smile, neither relieved nor disappointed.

“Can I ask where you met him and what kind of relationship you have?”

“No.”

“How mean.”

Ibi narrowed her eyes and glared at him at Sion’s firm refusal.

Of course, she didn’t expect him to open his mouth just because of this.

Indeed, the unkind count remained silent to the end, and Ibi sighed and returned to the main point.

“Anyway, I bought this house. But don’t worry. As I said before, I know well the preciousness of daily life. So I’ll protect your daily life too.”

Protect. It was the first time in his life hearing such words.

So Sion looked at her as if dumbfounded, but Ibi said without backing down.

“But I have a request too. First, please don’t block my path again. I’m a person too, so I have my own goals and direction. So please don’t force your way on me anymore.”

Ibi drew the line with a very fresh face, and Sion felt complicated at the sight.

Don’t block her path, she says such good words without even knowing what’s ahead.

“And second, please help me break the curse. If you grant these two requests, I’ll protect you too.”

Ibi said it was a request, but anyone could see this was an order.

And Sion was a person not at all used to receiving orders.

So Sion’s handsome face twisted again under his glasses, and that sight made Ibi quite pleased.

So Ibi thought about how to enjoy this feeling more, and remembering something the count had said before, tried imitating it.

“You’ll need time to think, so I’ll hear your answer tomorrow.”

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“I wonder if I provoked the count too much……”

As Ibi came down from the count’s room, Dies, who had been waiting, said casually.

Then Ibi answered, rather blushing her cheeks.

“I was happy. Though I didn’t actually hit him, it feels like I slapped or kicked his shin once each in spirit.”

Ibi saying that looked truly delighted.

Having suffered so much because of the count, this moment of being able to torment him seemed so sweet.

“I didn’t realize it in Tienda because I was busy pleasing the nobles, but I think this suits me much better.”

“I’m sure it does.”

Dies shook his head at Ibi’s excited voice.

Then he pointed to this house’s modest living room cum reception room and said.

“More importantly, they just arrived.”

At Dies’ tip, Ibi, who had been immersed in happiness, came to her senses.

A few days ago, Ibi ran into the count in this village and a bunch of unexpected events happened.

So she passed by without even touching the real purpose of coming down to Vis, but Dies adjusted the schedule and arranged a meeting again.

Though much later than planned, she was finally meeting them.

The People of the Night that Dies mentioned, who would break Ibi’s curse.

Ibi headed straight to the reception room where the People of the Night were waiting.

“Hello, sponsor.”

There, a white-haired boy who looked about fifteen or sixteen was sipping tea.