‘Screw you.
Laughter came out of my mouth. I tried to resist it, but found that I couldn’t. I was still surrounded by people trying to assist me, after all.
“H-He seems to be suffering seizures. Priests, please keep doing the spells, and wizards, please check if his body has some magic flooding.”
“Yes.”
Lee Jihye, who realized about my situation, luckily made up a lie in time, so I was forced to roll around once more as I held my arm. At this point, I could also see Yuno Kasugano pacing around restlessly.
In fact, there was no reason for her to stay. My body was already recovering. I was already craving to rest in my room than to stay here creating a spectacle for the people.
However, I needed to continue the act for one reason, and one reason only.
‘We are the victims, you bastards!’
That was the message I wanted to portray.
Of course, the person who showed this even better than I did was Jung Hayan.
“Waaaah, oppaaa! Waaaah…”
“I’m fine…”
“Sniff…”
Jung Hayan looked utterly lost and sad as she gazed down at me. For her, all of this must’ve seemed real. Thus, her reaction was normal, seeing as she had almost seen me die from the hands of that dirty bastard.
Anyone who saw her would think that I was already dead.
Because she was crying so sadly, she had managed to touch the hearts of some of the noble ladies within the crowd.
Even Kasugano Yuno, who knew about the situation, had tears in her eyes. This kind of situation probably felt unfamiliar to her.
My only role was to show how much pain I was feeling. At the same time, however, it wouldn’t be good for me to overact at this point. As Lee Jihye thought of the same, she shifted her effort into lightening the atmosphere.
It was then that Cha Hee-ra lifted me up. I knew this would prove to be another spectacle.
She didn’t seem to care about the blood on my body and clothes. In an instant, her body became covered in blood, yet this must seem like an infinitely beautiful view to the nobles of the Holy Empire.
I really felt like I was being protected by this woman. Though I had not touched her all over, I could feel her solid body.
Hee-ra wasn’t needlessly bulked like Park Deokgu. Her muscles were perfectly compressed.
When I thought of Ito Souta, who was beaten up by this massive fist, laughter came out again.
‘It’s great that you’re not dead.
At the right moment, he had probably protected his body with all his power. However, seeing that he vomited blood, he must’ve suffered fatal injuries.
To put it plainly, Ito Souta had received double the damage that I had sustained.
At this, we left the party hurriedly.
Jung Hayan was also following me while wiping away her tears, and Lee Jihye stayed behind, as she felt like the duty fell on her to calm the people we would be leaving behind.
Since she had confirmed that I was safe, she had moved on to the next part of the plan.
I felt a little disappointed, but that was Lee Jihye for you.
‘It’s also an action that’ll work in my favor…’
Meanwhile, we were cruising straight into the medical wing.
As soon as we arrived, Cha Hee-ra placed me down onto the bed, her expression serious.
Even as the priests came and began the treatment again, I couldn’t resist the laughter.
Jung Hayan also took a step back and looked at me, and Cha Hee-ra quietly opened her mouth.
“How is his state?”
“It seems like he’s gotten a lot better, Cha Hee-ra. I don’t think there will be any other side effects if he continues to rest like this.”
“Good work. Now you may go.”
“Yes.”
“Hayan, you should go, too.”
“I don’t want to…”
“Hayan, if you go to my room, there will be a letter in the second chest of drawers. You can go now and give it to the shaman.”
“O-oppa… Sniff…”
“My body is fine, so you should listen to me, alright?”
“Y… Yes…”
“You just need to come back after changing clothes and washing up. Just deliver it to her, then we’ll stay together. You’re a good girl, right? Tell Kasugano Yuno that I’m fine now.”
“Yes. Yes…”
I didn’t know why Cha Hee-ra asked even Jung Hayan to go, but the truth was I also wanted her to leave for a while. The errand she must do was just a good excuse.
I felt a little sorry, seeing her still crying, but I couldn’t openly laugh in front of that worried face.
The priests had already left the room in a hurry, followed by a depressed Hayan.
At this point, I had no choice but to let out the laughter I had been holding back.
“Puh ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.”
“Puh ha ha ha ha ha. Cough!”
I burst so badly that I began to cough. Cha Heera looked at me without saying anything
“I feel like a decade-old congestion has gone down. Hee-ra, did you see Ito Souta’s face? Cough. Puhaha.”
“It was much more perfect than I thought. Really… Actually, it would be better if he avoided your fist there… That’s a little disappointing. Had you beaten him to death there, it would have made things a lot easier. No, if I think about it now, I’m glad he’s still alive. There are still a lot of gifts that I’ve prepared, so he can’t die just yet. You controlled your strength, right? Or was that bastard just quick to react? Puhaha. Anyway, it was successful in the end. Cough.”
While I laughed continuously, Cha Heera’s expression began to change little by little. I didn’t know why, but for some reason, I couldn’t get rid of the feeling that she wasn’t happy at all.
‘Why is she like that?’
Obviously, I had no choice but to feel self-conscious.
At this point, Cha Hee-ra began to speak, anger laced into her tone.
“Honey.”
“Yes?”
“Is this funny?”
‘Why is she doing this again?’
“I’m asking if this is funny, you bastard. Fuck Ito Souta or whatever, are you aware that you almost died?”
“I didn’t…”
“Don’t even say that it’s fine since you’re not dead. If things had happened a little later, you could have died. You could have been crippled for your entire life. If I hadn’t cut off your arm…”
“That’s why I said I believe in you, Hee-ra.”
“I’m not saying that. It’s about your attitude. I’ve seen many crazy guys in my life so far, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen a crazy guy like you, you bastard. I sometimes see people betting their lives, but this is the first time see someone laughing over it. Do you really want to die?”
“No…”
“If you want to tell me anytime. I’ll beat you to death myself.”
“Why are you doing this?”
A strong, unusual feeling welled up from within me. I had initially thought that Cha Hee-ra would laugh alongside me once everyone had gone, so her reaction confused me.
However, as soon as she began biting her lips tightly, I could understand why she reacted that way.
‘Huh…’
I never imagined that the Mercenary Queen would ever look like this.
‘No way…’
I thought about whether Cha Hee-ra was really into me, but I shook that thought away.
No matter how much I tried to imagine it, the picture of her clinging onto me just didn’t seem possible. It felt a little confusing, but at least her worry for me didn’t seem that undeniable.
No, she indeed liked me, as she said. Whatever the reason, this could be called a green light.
“Are you worried about me?”
“Shut your mouth…”
As I gently rubbed her face, she trailed off.
“You don’t have to worry, Hee-ra.”
“You…”
“It’s because you were there. That’s why I was able to laugh. I didn’t think you would make a mistake. I was not betting my life. I knew I would never die.”
“You…”
“Thank you, Hee-ra.”
I grabbed her face and pulled her closer, causing her to tremble.
‘She is nervous.
I would have never imagined it, but Hee-ra was actually nervous. At that moment, seeing her desire for me, I knew I was half-right with what I had been thinking.
However, when she squeezed my arm none-too-gently, I couldn’t help but let out a scream.
“Ah!”
“S-Sorry.”
“No, Heera.”
Her reaction this time around was also a bit different.
Hee-ra looked a little embarrassed, as if she knew that she did something that wasn’t like her at all. I saw her desperately trying to change the subject.
“Ah, I’m glad to hear that it went well as you thought.”
“Yes. This is enough. It turned the situation over.”
“You have other ideas, right? You screamed as much as you wanted, but everyone will be wondering what it is that you know. They’ll want to know why Ito Souta tried to kill you. Without solid evidence, he can be released easily.”
“I know that. The Holy Empire hates conflicts, after all.”
“It is certainly an ambiguous problem to execute the master of a large guild… Considering that the Pope’s side is also looking after the Yamato Guild, he’ll probably be released a week or two later.”
“You don’t have to worry. I’m only telling you, but I’ve been working on something separately.”
“What?”
“You can think of it as being related to the errand I sent Hayan.”
At this point, Hee-ra had donned a curious expression. I wondered if it would be better to keep my mouth shut, but I felt like she had the right to know.
Telling her a little wouldn’t ruin it, anyway.
“That’s because I released the potion in Japan.”
“What?”
“I’m distributing potions from Blue to Japan through Yuno Kasugano. Of course, externally, Shaman and Blue will take the position that they have nothing to do with this potion… The people will know that a new clan in Japan is developing and distributing this potion.”
Only
“You… bastard…”
“Of course, with the new clan as a distraction, rumors will spread that the real distributor of this is Ito Souta. Now, because of these damn procedures, his movements will be limited. This is a good time for the media to come into the foyer. Of course, I’m not going to spread rumors directly here. It would be too risky. The truth will be revealed little by little… That will eventually choke him.”
“You do know that Ito Souta made a good impression not only for the Pope but also for the nobles, right, honey?”
“That’s why It’s even better, Hee-ra. People don’t really care about the bad guys committing crimes. Rather, it’ll be easier to work with if his appearance is good. I don’t know exactly, but by the time Ito Souta appears in society again, public opinion about him will be irreversibly deteriorating. I can squeeze his image to the point where it will become impossible for him to recover.”
“Do you know what these kinds of people find the most fun in the world?”
“What…”
“They find it fun talking behind other people’s backs.”
A disconcerted expression appeared on Cha Hee-ra’s face.