Chapter 12

#012 Little Guest (2)

“I am... receiving confession. I’m a deacon.”

His sharp gaze made me feel like I had to answer honestly.

It’s not like I’m scared of a kid.

“You’re doing something you weren’t asked to do.”

The boy replied sharply. I was taken aback by his unfamiliar attitude and reacted slowly.

What kind of manners are these, addressing an adult you just met so rudely?

No, no, that’s not the issue right now.

‘If you need anything or if there’s an emergency, pull the cord on the left.’

I recalled Sir Elizabeth’s words and reached out my hand to the left.

“If you’re not feeling well, I can call a doctor. Just wait a moment...”

-Snap!

-Swish!

A chill ran down my spine from head to toe.

Instinctively, I pulled back and slowly turned my head. I saw a sharp dagger narrowly miss my cheek and embed itself in the wall of the confessional.

The dagger had cut the cord on the left and was now stuck in the wall.

The severed cord rolled on the floor. My face quickly turned towards the boy.

A hole had been cut in the wooden window by the dagger.

“Huh...”

“Nonsense.”

He seemed to want to say something more, but his sentence was cut off.

Thud, something fell to the ground.

“Just a moment, I’m coming. I won’t call anyone else.”

In the midst of my confusion, I picked up the severed cord and stuffed it into my wide sleeve.

When I opened the confessional door and came out, a knight who was pushing open the temple’s main door greeted me from a distance.

“Your Highness, I’m about to bring in the next confessor.”

“Just a moment. I want to see what this booth looks like.”

I threw out a random excuse.

The knight seemed to understand that I wanted a break, bowed again, and closed the door and left.

This should buy me at least ten minutes.

“I’m coming in. I won’t do anything.”

After whispering quietly outside the confessional, I quickly opened the door to the adjacent booth.

The little boy lying on the floor caught my eye immediately.

I knelt down and carefully checked the child’s condition.

I didn’t forget to close the door first.

“Kid, you’re sweating.”

“Grr...”

I knew it wasn’t smart to worry about an unknown boy who had somehow gotten in here.

I had almost died a few days ago because of some young brats, and it’s dangerous to let your guard down just because someone is a child.

But still...

“Do you have a fever?”

In any case, in the open sanctuary, he wouldn’t be able to harm me.

“Don’t touch me.”

The boy sharply pushed my arm away.

His orange eyes were burning brightly. He must be about seven years old.

The boy was much younger than Ganael or the other attendants.

He was wrapped in a large black robe, trembling but pushing me away like a small animal.

“How did you get in here? How do you plan to leave? I can help you.”

“Brother?”

This kid, did he just laugh? I felt a surge of annoyance despite my worry.

“Yes, I’ll help you. Staying here will only make you feel worse.”

The floor is hard and cold, I added.

I raised my arms to the sides of my head so the boy could see my movements and slowly reached out.

This time, the child didn’t move and just stared at me.

“...You know nothing.”

“Caught you. Will you keep it a secret from others?”

I smiled wryly and placed my hand on the child’s forehead. It was burning hot, as expected.

“I should have brought some medicine.”

Confession involves meeting many people, but I didn’t expect any of them to be sick.

Maybe I should ask Bengiamin to prepare some basic medicines like fever reducers or digestive aids.

“Keep what you saw today to yourself.”

“What?”

His young but firm voice cut through my thoughts. Thud, he grabbed my wrist.

I felt the ground beneath me give way.

“Wh...?”

My vision blurred. The world spun, and my field of view distorted.

I saw my circle, which had been glowing like indirect lighting, gradually fade.

“What are you doing...?”

There was no response.

The boy’s jet-black hair and orange eyes spread out in black and red.

When the sanctuary completely disappeared, my consciousness also faded.

*

When people feel like they’re reliving a past experience, they call it déjà vu.

“Hello, Your Highness. This is the second time I’ve seen you like this.”

But what do you call it when you relive the same experience for the third time?

Déjà trois?

“Still, you woke up after just one day. It seems your divine power has grown.”

Cardinal Aurelia Butier smiled gently, looking at me with a proud expression.

I stared at her blankly for a moment before snapping back to reality and sitting up.

Familiar furniture and luxurious wallpaper filled my view. This was my room, my bedroom.

“...I greet the noble Cardinal.”

“Yes, nice to see you.”

“Did I collapse in the temple?”

“It’s my fault. I apologize, Your Highness.”

A familiar voice came from the opposite side.

To the left of the bed, I saw Sir Elizabeth with a dark expression and Ganael, who looked pale.

“No, it’s not Sir Elizabeth’s fault. Ganael, I’m fine.”

I forced a smile.

Please, I don’t want to experience being put to bed and waking up in a different place again. Especially since none of the three times were my choice.

“You lost consciousness due to ether depletion. It seems you were really listening to confessions diligently.”

“Ether depletion?”

I turned my head to the right. The Cardinal began to explain gently.

“If the rate at which ether leaves your body is faster than the rate at which it naturally regenerates, you can experience shock from depletion.”

“...”

“It’s the opposite of the ether surge you experienced before. That’s when the rate of ether generation becomes too fast, causing shock to the body.”

She slowly raised her teacup to her lips after finishing her explanation.

My mind, still groggy from just waking up, worked hard to process the situation.

“Does ether depletion usually happen so suddenly?”

Her elegant brows furrowed slightly at my question.

She seemed a bit uncomfortable.

“My ether flow was fine until just before I collapsed. There were no unusual symptoms, and then suddenly...”

I trailed off. Jet-black hair and orange eyes.

The face of the boy with sharp features flashed through my mind.

“Was there anyone around when you found me?”

“No, since I hadn’t brought in a confessor, there was no one.”

Sir Elizabeth’s answer made me fall silent.

The last words I heard echoed in my ears.

‘Keep what you saw today to yourself.’

Why did he give that warning? Was he a fugitive? Had he committed a crime?

He seemed too young for that.

Even if he had, it was strange for someone who had committed a crime and was running away to hide in the palace’s temple.

Usually, wouldn’t they try to get as far away from the palace as possible?

“Your Highness, should I call a doctor?”

Ganael gently grabbed my arm.

He seemed worried by my sudden silence.

“No, I’m fine. The Cardinal took good care of me. I was just lost in thought.”

I answered as brightly as I could.

Seeing Ganael’s young honey-colored eyes reminded me of the determined look in the boy’s eyes when he grabbed my wrist.

Suddenly, a hypothesis flashed in my mind.

“Can ether be extracted from another person’s body?”

“...”

“As you know, I haven’t been trained in this area. I’ve been reading a lot lately...”

“It’s possible.”

She answered my question in a low voice.

“Priests and paladins can exchange ether through physical contact. They can open their circles to exchange, but skin contact is the most efficient.”

“...I see.”

I nodded slightly, pretending it was just a casual curiosity.

But inside, my thoughts began to whirl like a clock’s gears.

It was that boy. I knew it instinctively.

The sudden dizziness and the feeling of my body plummeting underground.

It was all because the bold little thief had grabbed my wrist and stolen my ether.

Why? Did he need ether? I recalled the boy’s very unstable condition.

Could the fever and cold sweat have been symptoms of ether depletion?

Then, could it be that the boy...

“This is an old custom that was only practiced during wartime... Nowadays, it’s rare. There’s no reason to need large amounts of ether.”

Cardinal Elizabeth interrupted my train of thought. Her face was strange when I looked at her.

Her ash-gray eyes, which were flickering restlessly, seemed to flash with anger.

I nodded.

“Then, is there any other priest in the palace besides me and the Cardinal...”

-Knock

“Come in.”

Cardinal Butier quickly responded to the knock.

My question about whether there were any other priests in the palace besides me and the Cardinal was cut off.

“Your Highness, you’re awake.”

Bengiamin, who had opened the door, visibly relaxed when he saw me.

I smiled and nodded.

“Prince Sedric has sent you some precious tea leaves.”

On the silver tray Bengiamin held in both hands was a beautifully carved wooden box.

“What kind of tea leaves?”

I asked, and he came closer and slowly opened the box.

Inside were dried leaves piled up, and a sharp, pleasant aroma spread.

“It’s sage tea, good for