PMEVBO 35

It must have been during the summer of third grade.

Seeing a classmate get bullied by a sixth grader, I charged in without thinking. That’s how I ended up in my first real fight.

I was a bit taller than most kids my age, but my opponent wasn’t pushover. He was about to start middle school, and his build rivaled that of most adults.

Honestly, the force of his blows was overwhelming, but I landed more effective strikes. My kick broke his leg, and he fell, wailing loudly. That’s how I clinched the victory.

His parents presented a medical certificate stating six weeks of recovery, and in the end, my brother was forced to pay compensation.

Seeing my face, now bruised and swollen, my brother was speechless for a while.

“…Je-in, wait here for a moment.”

“Why?”

“I’m going to go protest to the other kid’s mom. I think our kid lost.”

My brother said it with his hand over his mouth, struggling to speak.

But I knew it wasn’t because he was upset; it was because he found it funny.

“Ah, what are you talking about? I definitely won.”

My nose wouldn’t stop bleeding, so I stuffed tissues in it, which made my voice sound nasal.

My brother doubled over laughing. Then, infuriatingly, he told me to win next time and even signed me up for taekwondo lessons.

The digression was long, but what I really want to say is this. I’m just a hot-headed bastard who swings first when pissed off.

So when I punched Atsula in the face for threatening to take Iser and kill him, it was completely beyond my control.

***

Lucariel’s fist grazed Atsula’s jaw by a hair’s breadth. In that instant, his head snapped sideways, throwing off his balance. Atsula’s body flew backward, tumbling across the dirt ground.

“Fuck, that hurt like hell…”

It only grazed him, so it was only this bad. If it had connected properly, his jawbone would have shattered. And no wonder, that earlier punch had been infused with divine power.

One hit was enough to make it clear. Lucariel’s divine power had increased abnormally.

‘At the banquet, it was clearly at best on par with mine.’

Among the Pope’s descendants across generations, Cardinal Bechard was considered to possess the most divine power. Yet the divine power Atsula had just confirmed in Lucariel easily surpassed even that of Bechard.

There had not been a single instance in the past thousand years of divine power increasing naturally within such a short period. If even one such case had existed, Atsula would never have dared approach Vulcanus poison.

‘That bastard Lucariel clearly has the effects of the Vulcanus poison coursing through him.’

Atsula staggered to his feet, baring his fangs in a grin. The blood flowing from his torn lips stained his sharp fangs crimson.

“Decided you won’t even hide your manifested divine power anymore?”

Spitting out the blood pooled in his mouth, Atsula charged at Lucariel.

But before his fist could even extend, Lucariel twisted his waist and swung his leg. The foot flying toward his side was unbelievably fast.

In the end, Atsula had no choice but to quickly raise his arm to defend his side. The next instant, Lucariel’s instep, charged with divine power, lashed out at Atsula’s forearm.

Not only was his arm bone crushed by that single kick, but pain also shot through his ribs. It was an injury that would vanish anyway if he touched the bastard with the life-related ability. There was something far more important.

‘…Why isn’t he going berserk?’

Of course, it was problematic for Atsula if Lucariel went berserk right here and now. But Lucariel, handling the amplified divine power as if it were nothing, was far too strange.

Not only Iser and Tykvana behind him, but Lucariel himself appeared completely unscathed. This was unlike him, who was constantly wounded by his own divine power.

Then Lucariel regained his stance. Taking a deep breath, he spun twice and soared into the air. The divine power concentrated in his toes sliced through the morning sunlight, leaving a crimson trail.

“Ha. You monster…”

Atsula muttered, letting out a hollow laugh.

The fact he’d concealed his divine power manifestation until age seventeen, the way he’d compressed and fired a small burst at the banquet, and even the precise amount of divine power concentrated into that punch just now, enough to wound but not kill. That bastard Lucariel was undoubtedly a natural genius when it came to wielding divine power.

But luck alone couldn’t sustain him forever. Even if he managed to avoid a surge now, it was only a matter of time before it happened.

Lucariel’s foot, striking diagonally downward, aimed precisely for Atsula’s head. It carried even more divine power than when he’d aimed for his side. Knowing it was futile to block it, Atsula still clenched his teeth and shielded his head with his unbroken arm.

Then, a horrific shock pierced his skull.

His vision flashed as if struck by lightning, and a piercing ringing piiii echoed in his ears.

But it was brief; the light and sound vanished in an instant. Atsula lost consciousness immediately.

***

When I came to my senses, Atsula was sprawled out, covered in a thick layer of dust. Even at a glance, his condition looked dire.

I quickly dropped to the ground and placed my hand on Atsula’s nose. But… I couldn’t feel any breath. I pressed my ear to Atsula’s chest, but heard nothing.

“Could he be… dead…?”

In that instant, a chill ran down my spine.

‘I was so angry I couldn’t see straight, but did I actually beat someone to death…?’

…That’s not something a human should do.

“He’s not dead.”

I turned my head in alarm. Standing there was Tykvana, her face pale. She clutched her stomach with one arm and limped on one leg, she approached me, catching her breath before adding.

“Divine power is like a deadly poison. Even a minor injury can kill someone. But it’s different for a priest who manifests divine power.”

“……How is it different?”

“You must have heard a lot about divine power shock, right?”

Sorry, but I haven’t.

She must have read that look on my face. Tykvana, who had been looking at me with pity, sighed and spoke.

“……First off, they don’t flinch at ordinary injuries. Even with fatal wounds, it only ends with their bodily functions temporarily halting during recovery. Once the inflamed blood vessels calm down, their stopped pulse and breathing return, and they wake up.”

Only then did I notice Atsula’s skin. His skin, through which flame-like blood vessels were visible, looked as if it had been cracked.

Only then could I breathe a sigh of relief. Fortunately, I hadn’t killed anyone.

Then, suddenly, I realized something odd.

‘…Did I just use divine power?’

I must have let divine power leak out unconsciously, overcome by rage. Come to think of it, this happened quite often at the castle too. When I first learned of Iser’s abduction, divine power had run wild on its own accord.

But this is the first time I didn’t even notice the divine power leaking out.

…I need to be more careful from now on.

After hearing Tykvana’s explanation about the Tali cord and receiving a dedicated cutter, I hurried back to Iser.

Through the window of the divine carriage, now twisted like a scrap heap, I saw Iser tightly bound by the Tali cord. This time, he didn’t lower his head; he looked straight at me.

Relieved, I opened the door. Our gazes locked instantly, meeting those vivid blue eyes.

“Sorry for making you wait. But I won, so forgive me.”

I forced myself to sound calm as I spoke. Iser’s eyes crinkled and he nodded.

Forgetting the situation, I momentarily spaced out. I quickly used the cutter in my hand to slice through the Tali cord gagging his mouth. Just as I was about to cut the straps securing his body, 

“…Are you hurt anywhere?”

The rough, low voice left me speechless.

Who the hell is worrying about whom? Who’s the one bleeding enough to die…

Iser’s clothes, stained a deep crimson, were still damp from how much blood he’d lost. Ignoring the stinging pain in my chest, I finished cutting the cord. Then, forcing a smile, I replied.

“I said I won. You’re supposed to win without getting hurt.”

It was true. I really hadn’t been hurt.

Tykvana’s the one who looks like she needs healing right now.

My gaze drifted toward Tykvana without me realizing it. Just then, she was approaching us. Iser, who had been watching her as I did, suddenly reached out and placed his hand over hers.

“Ugh. What is this…!”

I’d been worried about Tykvana’s injury, so this was a relief.

As soon as all her wounds were healed, Iser promptly withdrew his hand. Seeing Tykvana staring at him with a dumbfounded expression, I chuckled and said,

“He healed you. You looked like you were in a lot of pain.”

“Ah… Thank you, Young Master.”

Tykvana’s polite thanks made Iser blink briefly before he silently nodded.

Seeing Iser like that, I couldn’t help but smile. But I quickly composed myself. I tilted my head toward Tykvana and whispered.

“Tykvana, what do you plan to do with Iser?”

It was a voice so soft, Iser behind us couldn’t hear it.

***

Of the two divine carriage, only Tykvana’s was functioning normally. I couldn’t leave the aftermath of the perpetrator to the victim, so I personally loaded Atsula onto her divine carriage.

“Priest Nebella, are you sure you don’t need me to take you all the way to the Hayut Castle?”

“Yes, I’ll manage on my own.”

Managing on my own was a lie; the truth was, there was a bastard who insisted on taking me separately.

The System.

────【 System Notification 】────

Player has departed from fixed position.

In 10 minutes, will automatically return to fixed position.

(9m 28s)

──────────────────────────

Damn, seriously.

“Understood. Then I’ll just need to take the young master to Lady Hayut.”

“Right, please take good care of him.”

Then, through my thin sleeve, I felt the touch of a cold hand.

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

Iser, who had wrapped his hand around my wrist, stared at my face.

Ever since learning that Tykvana would take him to Isabelle, Iser had been unusually quiet. Worried about him, I waited silently for him to speak.

After a long silence, Iser lowered his gaze and opened his lips.

“…Can’t I not go?”

“What?”

Beep—!

Beep—!

Beep—!

────【 System Error 】────

Unexpected intervention detected.

‘████’ temporarily secures permissions.

‘████’ has modified NPC ‘Iser Hayut’s settings.

The location of this NPC is fixed by ’████‘

to ‘Hayut Castle’.

─────────────────────