Chapter 62
‘Who the hell is this damn system trying to screw over?’
When I use the Sacred Shepherd’s Touch skill, the target becomes tamed to me.
Just like Lycian did.
‘You want me to tame Raul like I did Lycian? Don’t be disgusting.’
I flicked my hand irritably and swiped the status window away.
My face twisted in annoyance as I glanced around—
The knights of Winterberg were stealing confused looks at me.
I shot them a cursory glare, then walked over to Dante and Lycian.
I was about to say we should head back when Lycian suddenly grabbed my hand.
“…!”
The surprise lasted only a second.
The damp sensation brushing my palm told me exactly what was happening.
‘He’s trying to clean my hand.’
Lycian scrubbed my hand hard with a cloth soaked in clean water.
“…….”
As if Raul’s blood were filthy sludge, he wiped away every last trace of it—then flung the bloodstained cloth toward the knights.
He placed my now spotless hand on his palm and examined it carefully.
“Good…. It’s clean now.”
With a faint smile, Lycian tugged my hand naturally.
“Let’s go back.”
“Yeah.”
The Winterberg knights merely glanced at me. Not a single one offered thanks.
I hadn’t expected any to begin with, so I left without a second thought.
Forty-six hours later, the Winterberg ducal estate.
The man who had long been unconscious finally awoke from his deep slumber.
The moment sensation returned, searing pain tore through his abdomen and waist.
“Ugh…!”
Groaning, he lowered his gaze.
A vivid scar stretched across his lower abdomen, just above the pelvis.
Large. Ugly. Deep enough to hint at how severe the wound had been.
“Ha….”
With a weak sigh, he lowered the upper body he had barely managed to lift.
“My lord! You’re awake?”
The physician hurried to his side, examining him thoroughly before speaking with a grave expression.
“Your abdominal aorta was damaged. It has fully healed now. Fortunately, there was minimal internal organ damage, and there are no signs of severe sepsis. However, you must rest for the time being. The pain may persist for two weeks.”
After moistening his throat with a few sips of water, Raul asked in a hoarse, roughened voice,
“How did I survive? I was losing a lot of blood…. It wasn’t a situation where immediate treatment was possible.”
During the dungeon subjugation, several knights had been gravely injured after falling into an unexpected trap. Raul had exhausted the healer’s divine power and all their potions to save them.
He had believed that he and his elites would remain unharmed.
But as they retreated in haste to exit the dungeon, an irregular pattern appeared again.
Along the straight garden path, a massive thorny vine sprouted—mutating into a plant-type monster.
It was ferocious. Tenacious. Its regenerative ability was monstrous.
No matter how many times they cut it down, it regrew in an instant. There was no time to catch their breath.
Yet breaking through it was the only way out.
So Raul stood at the front and fought it himself.
When they finally reached the end of the path, he sent his subordinates out first and remained behind, holding back the monster’s attacks until the very last moment.
After confirming that the final knight had escaped safely, he moved to follow.
Shiiik!
A tentacle that had been pressed flat against the ground, lying in wait, lashed out. Its sharp thorn tore into his abdomen and struck.
‘Tch…!’
He managed to clamp the wound shut immediately, narrowly preventing his entrails from spilling out—but the moment he exited the dungeon, Raul lost consciousness.
When he opened his eyes, he was in his bedroom at the Winterberg ducal estate.
“Well, that is….”
For some reason, the physician couldn’t answer right away. He hesitated, fumbling over his words.
The maid standing beside him shifted uneasily as well.
Raul’s brow furrowed faintly.
He couldn’t understand their reaction.
“Was there a healer near the dungeon? Or perhaps an adventurer carrying a top-grade potion?”
“Th-that… whew.”
The physician let out a heavy sigh, as if weighed down by the gravity of it all, and pressed a hand to his forehead before speaking.
“Please do not be alarmed, my lord. It seems there happened to be someone present with a top-grade potion. But that person was….”
He ran his tongue over his dry lips, then continued, disbelief written all over his face.
“Muriel Tierney…. It was that woman.”
Thirty minutes later.
After the physician left to prepare medicine, the maid stood against the wall like a shadow.
Raul, still in shock, stared blankly at the ceiling.
‘Muriel saved me?’
…Unbelievable.
It made no sense.
‘She should be barely clinging to life in that hut in the contaminated zone. How—?’
Apparently, there had been two other people by her side.
As if guarding her.
Even harder to believe—one of them was the Guild Master of the Veratis Guild.
‘That’s absurd. Why would the Guild Master of Veratis help her? For what reason?’
Muriel Tierney herself had no particular “value.”
She wasn’t especially intelligent, nor did she possess exceptional talent, nor was she a beauty capable of captivating the entire world.
If there was something to be gained, then—
‘Not Muriel. Her family.’
…Could it be that the Veratis Guild had joined hands with the Tierney family?
That guild was known for rarely cooperating with any faction.
‘Did Duke Tierney promise them a substantial reward?’
A hollow laugh escaped Raul’s lips as he dragged a hand down his face.
“Unbelievable….”
Dante Veratis… He had thought him greedy, yes, but still a man who knew where to draw the line.
‘Of all people to cooperate with—the Tierneys?’
It was ridiculous. But there was no point in feeling further disappointment.
Most humans were immoral to begin with.
A deep-rooted misanthropy and distrust sprouted in his heart like poisonous weeds.
The Tierneys, eyeing the first dungeon subjugation within his territory. The adventurers who cared for nothing but money. All of them disgusted him.
‘Filthy bastards.’
As he glared at the ceiling, a spark suddenly flashed in his blue eyes.
A bleak smile curved his lips.
Ignoring the pain, he forced himself upright.
When he tried to change into outdoor clothes, the startled maid hurried over to stop him.
“My lord, the physician said you must rest for some time—”
“Let go. I need to go to the contaminated zone at once.”
“B-but…!”
The maid stood frozen, unsure what to do in the face of Raul’s single-minded resolve.
Click—
The door opened abruptly, and someone stepped inside.
Few people could enter the duke’s chambers without knocking.
Raul knew who it was without even looking.
“Raul, you’re awake.”
As expected, Sienna’s voice.
Her pink hair rippled softly with each step she took.
Her clear, water-like eyes were filled with worry as they settled on him.
“You were unconscious for so long—I was so worried…. I can’t tell you how relieved I am that you’re awake.”
“…….”
Raul gazed at her silently, then sighed and ran a hand over his face.
“Sienna. I told you to return to Castel.”
“…Are you going to keep saying that? Raul, that hurts.”
“…….”
“You know why I’m staying in Winterberg instead of going back to my beloved hometown…. Raul, who else in this world understands you better than I do? You need me by your side. You always have. Ever since we were children.”
Sienna always spoke like this. It sounded gentle on the surface, but beneath it lay a subtle intent to control.
Raul found it uncomfortable—but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything harsh to her.
She had helped him greatly during the darkest period of his life.
The answer was always the same. In a resigned tone, Raul said,
“Fine. I’m sorry, Sienna.”
As usual, she accepted it with a bright smile.
“Mm. Thank you for understanding. But where were you about to go?”
The way she looked at him softened, as if indulging a stubborn child.
“You were going to the contaminated zone, weren’t you? To confirm whether it was really Muriel who saved you.”