Kapitel 64: [Chapter 64] I've come to meet you
After the summer break, the library was a bit more musty than before, and some books were missing or added to the shelves.
However, overall, there was no change. It was probably the same as it had been for decades.
It was as if the previous semester had never ended. Neris quietly made her way to the secret location on the 5th floor of the library.
She had planned to come back tomorrow or the day after, but as she was reading a book she had picked from the shelf, she suddenly noticed a familiar man sitting on the floor, looking up at her.
"Call me when you're free."
Neris knew that once she got absorbed in a book, she would become completely oblivious to her surroundings. She must have kept him waiting for a long time, so she apologized casually, and Cledwin smiled slightly.
"I didn't want to disturb your reading."
"You're wasting someone else's time, aren't you? What brings you here? If you're here to communicate, can I take a break for a bit?"
Since Neris was in a position to ask for a favor, she showed consideration first. Cledwin shook his head, still sitting on the floor.
"I've come to meet you. Didn't I have business with you?"
How did he know so quickly? It seemed that Cledwin's subordinates were keeping a close eye on the area around the library. It was understandable, given that it was a contact point.
Neris, who was about to ask for a favor, suddenly thought that Cledwin's complexion didn't look good. And she soon found a reason for that thought.
"Are you hurt?"
Cledwin smiled faintly. The fact that he didn't respond immediately was suspicious. He was a man who always spoke eloquently, except when he was joking.
Neris let out a sigh. His face, which was a perfect harmony of features, with a slightly larger head and thicker eyebrows than before, still had a relaxed smile.
He was almost a perfect boy, and if he had been born into a normal noble family, he would have had a carefree school life. Why did he have to go through such a difficult growth process?
It was only after seeing his face, which looked normal on the surface but clearly had problems, that Neris acknowledged her concern for him.
She was worried about him, just a little.
No, if he died, it would be troublesome for her too.
"Is it an incurable wound, or is there no one to treat it?"
Before he even opened his mouth, she had guessed the answer. It was probably the latter.
Neris, who had seen all sorts of things in the palace, knew that there were few wounds that were truly incurable.
However, the aftereffects of a disease that had already been treated, or old injuries that had been cut off, could not be recovered. But wounds caused by external factors could be treated with the power of sacred magic and medical assistance.
There were similar effects in magic as well.
Of course, there were fewer magicians than priests, but it wasn't like the Maindland Grand Duke's successor couldn't even hire one.
Cledwin's expression didn't change, but Neris caught a glimpse of dissatisfaction in his eyes.
"How do you know everything?"
That was always what she said. Neris narrowed her eyes.
"If you're hurt, you didn't need to come here directly. Or rather, if there's a spy inside and it's difficult to receive treatment, you shouldn't have come here in this state. You know you're sweating cold sweat, right?"
Cledwin casually wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, as if picking up a trivial item. Neris stood up from her seat.
"Let's go. I don't know where Ren is right now. No, it doesn't have to be Ren. Let's go to the theology department and grab any teacher and threaten them. If someone finds out that the Maindland successor is hurt, what's the big deal? By the time the rumors spread, it'll all be over."
In her panic, she forgot to add "senior" after Ren's name. She only realized it after she finished speaking.
"You're quite reckless."
Cledwin only smiled quietly, not even standing up. Neris glared at him.
"Who's the one who's always getting hurt?"
"Are you worried about me?"
"Do you need to worry?"
"Not particularly."
"Then I won't."
Although she had acknowledged her concern for him, there was no need to show it to the other person. It wouldn't do any good to reveal her weaknesses. Neris spoke clearly, her chin held high.
Cledwin's expression faltered at her bold tone. If she had asked for his concern as a child, it would have been proof that she didn't have the qualifications to be his senior.
"I wasn't avoiding treatment because I was scared. I just didn't have time."
"Why?"
"There was a problem in the territory."
Neris had also suspected as much.
If there was a problem during the break, it would have been something that happened in the territory. Ren had also hinted at the situation in Maindland.
"You must have attended yesterday's class."
"I only attended class for a short time and kept searching."
"What for?"
Cledwin's eyes, which had been calm until then, suddenly flashed with sharpness.
"The traitor's clue."
That was an unavoidable statement. Neris gazed at Cledwin's face for a moment, then let out a sigh.
"You've had a hard time."
"Don't ask?"
"About the details? If I need to know, I'll ask. There's no need to pry into things that aren't being said."
As Neris continued to stand, she began to feel awkward. She was wondering whether to sit back down or try to force Cledwin to stand up, but he slowly got up on his own.
Cledwin's posture as he stood up was slightly unsteady. Neris frowned and grabbed his arm. Cledwin glanced at her once, then smiled faintly.
"Are you going to support me?"
"It's not like I can support you with my height, but if I do, you won't suddenly collapse. How busy were you that you didn't even have time to receive treatment for a while? If you let your wounds get worse, that's just foolish."
"The best healer went over to the other side, and the ones who can still treat me are wandering around. I just got back to the dormitory after being out all this time. If I didn't have a reliable servant like you, Lady Neris, I don't know what would have happened to me."
It was a clever thing to say. Neris smiled wryly at his easy-to-understand joke and his smiling face, and they left the secret location together.
"You didn't have time, but you still came all the way here."
"I had to come first, no matter what. Treatment can wait, and if I don't die right away, it'll be fine eventually."
This guy was ridiculous. Neris revised her evaluation of Cledwin in her mind, adding another point to his score since the incident in the forest.
Diligence. Useless diligence. He was a man who put his duties first, even if it meant harming himself.
Honestly, no matter how urgent the situation was, Neris didn't think it was more important than the future Maindland Grand Duke's injury, which was severe enough to make him sweat cold sweat.
And Cledwin himself probably didn't know that fact. He was just a foolish person who thought others were more important than himself.
When she saw people like that, Neris thought back to her past life. She straightened her neck.
"There's no trouble more bothersome to me than you dying right now. I still have a lot to ask of you, so even if you don't like it, please stay healthy, okay?"
As she said "I have a lot to ask of you" with a tone that implied "I have a lot to give you," Cledwin smiled faintly, like a sigh.
It wasn't like his injury wasn't serious. It wasn't a fatal wound, but if left untreated, it could become a deadly one.
If someone else had applied for a visit, he would have rejected it without hesitation. He was a ruler and knew well how his own well-being affected his people.
However, when he heard that Neris was waiting, he had to prioritize her over finding a priest. Otherwise, he would have been worried about it.
A child who was hiding something and carrying a burden on her own. With a body that small. Even Cledwin couldn't understand her past, which she was trying to resolve.
Last semester, when he heard that Neris had been called to the student council after falling into Megara Rikandros's trap, the situation had already been resolved.
His subordinates had been using all their strength to find their lord and then to clean up the situation after finding him, because Cledwin had been betrayed by his uncle and injured and missing.
It was all his fault. He had foolishly relied on his bloodline, and as a result, his poor judgment had affected the young girl who was already carrying a heavy burden.
Wasn't it because of him that she had been dragged into the trap that had saved his life?
So, if she needed help, he couldn't help but prioritize it above all else.
However, saying that to her would be too obvious. Therefore, Cledwin smiled and didn't make any excuses.
***
"Are you hurt again?"
In Ren's dormitory, where Neris had brought him, the pink-haired boy immediately shot a question at Cledwin as soon as he saw his face.
And then, he added with a bright smile to Neris.
"Welcome, Neris. Do you want some snacks?"
It was blatant favoritism. Ren's special status allowed him to treat the Maindland Grand Duke's successor like this.
The Pope and the Emperor were two peaks that ruled the minds and bodies of the imperial people, and it was hard to say which one was higher.
"It's also because of his personality."
Even if the Pope was an important figure, only people with exceptionally strong faith would treat the previous Pope, who had already passed on the throne to the next generation, with such respect.
Power was absolute only when it existed, and once it was gone, it was more fleeting than anything.
Ren, who had once been an invincible figure as the previous Pope's brother, was now a has-been. However, he didn't lose his spirit and acted according to his own tastes.
Neris didn't find Ren's behavior annoying. It was actually more unpleasant to see someone who had been oppressed and become servile.
She just let out a sigh and said.
"The snacks are fine. But I'm really sorry, can you please treat this person?"
"Who's asking? Of course, I'll do it."
Despite his casual response, Ren quickly scanned the surroundings and led the two of them into the house.
Since it was around the time the morning classes started, there were a few people walking on the street. He made sure no one was watching by closing all the windows on the first floor and drawing the curtains.
"How did you run into that guy?"
As Neris sat Cledwin down on the sofa in the first-floor living room, Ren asked in a smooth voice. Neris gave a vague explanation, as she couldn't say that they had a secret meeting place.
"We just happened to meet. I was going to just talk to him for a bit, but then I saw that he was hurt. I know you're busy, Ren-senpai, and I'm sorry to keep asking for favors. You're the only one I can ask."
Neris's words contained a bit of flattery.
In fact, when she told Cledwin to "grab any teacher and threaten them," she was somewhat serious. But Ren was someone who didn't have any connections to the higher-ups, and it would be a waste to let him go.
He wasn't the type to scheme, so the probability of him pretending to treat Cledwin while doing something else was low.
However, Ren's face brightened up at her words. At the same time, a white and warm light burst forth from his hands.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein