A hidden cave in the snowfield.
Hanging icicles slowly dripped meltwater with soft sizzles, while a crude campfire built from dry firewood crackled, spitting out occasional sparks.
The cave was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
Veronica lay flat on the ground, covered by the coat Lynn had taken off.
Her face was pale, and her eyes were tightly shut.
Lynn's expression was calm as he brushed aside the girl's messy hair, his gaze locking onto the grayish-black mark on her forehead.
“...A curse. And a high-tier one of at least Tier 6.”
It was something that had quietly seeped into Veronica's body right at the start of the battle. It had remained dormant and hidden, but it had already corroded her internal organs.
The moment the battle ceased and her mana stopped surging, it rapidly took over her body.
“...Whoever crafted this curse definitely knows the Saintess inheritance of the Cathedral inside out.”
Although a Saintess with unparalleled healing spells was theoretically the natural counter to curses, that was all predicated on her actually being able to cast them.
The immediate physical damage of this high-tier curse was far less vicious than that of lower-tier ones, but in exchange, it firmly locked down the victim's source of mana.
Without the ability to channel mana, casting a healing spell was naturally out of the question.
Lynn reached out, intending to pat the girl's cheek.
But seeing her pale face, he ultimately held back his strength.
“Show some spine, will you? A Saintess dying from a curse... it would be way too embarrassing if word got out.”
“...”
“Can you still use that Inherent Magic from earlier to share mana?”
Veronica parted her lips with great difficulty, squeezing out two words.
“...Sorry.”
“What are you apologizing for? Coming to save you was my own decision.”
“Instead of wasting time on such pathetic words, you should get some rest and recover.”
Her usually high-and-mighty little face now hung limply, all her arrogance completely faded, leaving behind only a heartbreaking fragility.
She forced her watery eyes open just a crack.
“How... did you find me...?”
“What do you mean how did I find you? Speak clearly, big sis!” Lynn scratched his head. “Do you mean how did I find you pathetically beaten to the ground by that black-mist bastard?”
“I wasn't... pathetic...” her weak voice mumbled.
“At the time, the other examinees in front of me were teleported away by their scrolls in the blink of an eye, and then such a massive commotion came from your direction. It was only logical for me to go check it out, right?”
“...So stupid.”
As if saying it once wasn't enough, Veronica softly repeated it.
“So stupid.”
“Hey! I saved your life!”
“...You shouldn't have come.”
“So I should have just watched you get kicked to death, then tucked my tail and run back to my domain like a dog?” Lynn scoffed.
“And then toss and turn every night, thinking, ‘Ah, Lynn, the only reason you're still standing here is because some idiot selflessly tried to solve your problems and ended up dying miserably’?”
“Have you been reading too many cheesy knight novels? Are you that desperate to become some unforgettable, tragic memory?”
Seeing the girl biting her lower lip, looking somewhat aggrieved, he couldn't help but soften his tone.
“Besides, I heard it... that guy is after me. Even if I avoided it this time, what about the next?”
Lynn stroked the girl's soft hair.
It was silky-smooth, feeling even better to the touch than Lilian's. He couldn't resist running his fingers through it a few more times.
“Don't worry, you're the noble Saintess. A measly curse like this won't bring you down.”
“...You're lying. You just told me not to die a moment ago.”
Seeing his attempt at comfort exposed, the embarrassed Lynn was about to retort.
But meeting the girl's fragile gaze, his tone softened once again.
“Really. Once you wake up from a good sleep, everything will be fine.”
“You're lying! You're lying again!”
“You're always like this... in the past, and now too...!”
“Cough, cough... cough, cough...” In her agitation, the girl suddenly began to cough violently.
“Hey, your body...!?”
The hand Lynn had just reached out was violently slapped away.
Veronica bit her lower lip and lowered her head, her aggrieved tone laced with a sob.
“I know, I know everything...”
“I'm the Saintess. Do you really think I wouldn't notice the tracking mark that comes with this curse?”
“Alastor will be able to track us down very soon, won't he?”
“And you have the nerve to say I read too many knight novels? You're clearly the one doing it!”
Summoning strength from who knows where, she shakily sat up.
Facing the half-kneeling Lynn, she pounded her fists against his chest, one strike after another.
“Just leave me alone, okay?! Do you really want to be buried in this freezing snowfield with a spoiled, rude, stupid woman like me?!”
“There's still someone waiting for you, isn't there? That silly pink-haired girl—doesn't her gaze constantly linger on you?”
Her fists fell like raindrops, completely devoid of any strength.
“Go away! Just get out of here!”
After her breakdown, she panted heavily.
As if all the bones in her body had been removed, she collapsed limply into Lynn's embrace.
Veronica suddenly smiled.
Like a blooming rose, she gently wrapped her arms around Lynn's neck.
Her soft hair brushed past the tip of Lynn's nose as her small head, resting on his shoulder, strained to reach his ear.
Her soft, warm breath brushed against his earlobe.
Her upturned lips parted and closed.
Her feigned lighthearted tone was just like when they first met, carrying the confident chuckle of that once-arrogant girl.
“Please, Lynn.”
“Run.”
A damp sensation seeped through the back of Lynn's clothes.
Faint sobs dissolved into the night wind.
“Drip... drip...”
Rate on N.U.
