The Price of Breaching the Contract - Chapter 37

Yulania trembled as she looked up at Santia. Contrary to what she hoped, the more she trembled, the stronger the light of the Holy Stone became, as if fueling her emotions.

“Do you know how to use mana?”

“…Mana? Like the knights use?”

Santia asked an irrelevant question. Yulania suddenly felt her anxiety fly away and asked back, puzzled. She was arguably the person furthest from mana.

“Yeah, of course not.”

He seemed to think similarly, shaking his head to himself.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Since when have you been carrying the Holy Stone? I don’t remember giving it to you.”

“I got it from a librarian. They said it brings good luck.But it reacts every time a demon comes, so it’s strange. I didn’t do anything.”

“Ah, it probably doesn’t summon demons. Don’t worry about that.”

“What does that…”

Santia continued the conversation unilaterally, not answering Yulania’s questions. Yulania’s rising anxiety subsided at his bland reaction. As if sensing her mood, the Holy Stone began to dim its light.

“How are you controlling this?”

“I don’t know. I’m not doing anything.”

“Do you perhaps have some hidden power you’re not telling me about?”

“I don’t know.”

“Hmm.”

“Answer my questions too. What are you even talking about?”

Unlike Yulania, whose eyes were still shaking with anxiety, Santia’s expression was refreshed. Even though he should have been exhausted after coming in from battle, he looked rather invigorated.

“Put the Holy Stone on the floor.”

“Santia!”

“I’ll answer you, so put it down.”

“……”

Yulania slowly lowered her hand, glaring at her husband with suspicious eyes. No matter what, he was a Devil Slayer born and raised in the land of demons. He would know much more about demons and Holy Stones than she did.

As she placed the Holy Stone on the carpet, Santia pulled Yulania behind him. He blocked her with his left arm and drew his sword with his other hand.

“What are you doing!”

“I have something to show you.”

“Are you going to break it?”

“No? Even if it breaks, don’t worry, I’ll get you a new one.”

Yulania grabbed the arm blocking her, stopping him, and Santia looked at her with an incredulous expression. Feeling embarrassed for no reason at his gaze, Yulania quietly watched what he was doing.

Soon, he gently brought the tip of his sword to the Holy Stone, and as white light covered the sword, it went down to the Holy Stone. After a very brief contact, he removed the sword, and a faint white light emanated from the Holy Stone.

It was a technique the Makari Knights used as a shield against demons when they camped beyond the wall.

Santia added an explanation to Yulania, whose eyes were wide.

“Injecting mana into the Holy Stone like this makes demons hate it, so it’s useful on expeditions.”

“Goodness.”

“So whatever you did, it probably doesn’t summon demons.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

Yulania emphasized again, looking straight into Santia’s eyes.

“I’m not trying to blame you. It’s the opposite.”

“……?”

“If there’s a way to create a strong light like before, the demons will definitely hate it even more. We need to figure out what you did and use it.”

“Ah…?”

At the unexpected words, Yulania blankly looked at the faintly glowing stone on the floor. She didn’t know what was going on, but there was a possibility that she could help in the fight against demons.

“Is it related to the medicine?”

“I don’t know.”

Yulania felt pathetic for not being able to answer anything properly and only saying she didn’t know. She lowered her head, her voice fading. Then Santia gently lifted her chin and made eye contact again.

“Nothing is certain yet. This is a reaction I’m seeing for the first time, so how much more would you be.”

Yulania bit her lower lip. Somehow, the Holy Stone on the floor seemed to have become a little brighter.

“This is something we need to figure out together, not a problem for you to carry alone.”

Her face felt warm even though only his fingertips touched it. She slowly blinked and met the gaze of her husband, who was looking straight at her. She could vaguely read sincerity in his firm eyes.

For a while, they stood there without saying a word. The light of the Holy Stone gradually faded, and the air in the room slowly stabilized.

But they both knew.

This was just the beginning.

And the world they knew was about to reveal a completely different face.

The next morning, a strange guest attended the Knights of Makari’s meeting, presided over by Santia. The Makari Knights were unable to adapt to the sight of a delicate princess in a space filled with only dark men and fidgeted.

Yulania attended the Knights’ strategy meeting for the first time today. She sat next to Santia at the head of the table and awkwardly listened to the Knights’ meeting. There was a separate reason for her attendance today, but first, the original meeting proceeded.

Due to the continuing attacks, a strange tension lingered within the Makari Knights. This was due to the fact that the demons’ attacks were gradually becoming more organized, and that the royal investigation team was depleting the few supplies they had.

Familiar figures of the Knights were lined up at the long table. Yulania, who was at the very end, felt subtly burdened by everyone’s glances. Everyone was looking at the map with heavy eyes, and Santia led the meeting in an unfamiliar manner.

“…The retreat direction was northwest.”

“Isn’t that the direction we saw during the last long expedition?”

“That’s right.”

Large and small issues related to combat were discussed, and finally, the Holy Stone was mentioned.

“And, regarding the demons, Yulania’s power seems to be helpful, so she is here with us today.”

Then, as Santia briefly explained the Holy Stone, all eyes turned to Yulania. Everyone had a puzzled look on their faces. She flinched a little, but soon calmly raised her hand and opened the inside of her collar. The Holy Stone she had brought to her chest swayed a little as it moved into her hand.

“When I hold it glows like this.”

The moment her hand carefully wrapped around the Holy Stone, a small but clear silver radiance spread across the surface of the stone. Suddenly, a suffocating silence filled the conference room. It was a light that was clear even under the lights, pulsating like life.

“Amazing.”

The first to speak was Haron. He muttered blankly, his pupils dilated. Starting with him, murmurs spread throughout the conference room.

“Is the princess using mana?”

“The color seems a little different from when the lord does it?”

“Is this also effective against those guys?”

As questions poured out from here and there, Santia summed everything up in one word.

“We don’t know the details. But it’s definitely a hopeful and new possibility.”

Only then did Diego, who had been quietly watching the Holy Stone with a weighty gaze for a long time, shout in a voice mixed with admiration.

“This is a truly unexpected gain! The princess has brought us good luck.”

Yulania’s eyes shook slightly at those words. It was a pleasant shock. It was the first time someone had called her luck.

The feeling of being regarded as a ‘necessary person’ rather than someone to be protected, a burdensome presence, or a target of surveillance.

At that moment, the light of the Holy Stone became a little brighter and took on a yellow hue.

“Is it shining more now?”

“Is it reacting to the princess’s mood?”

Diego exclaimed in a subdued voice, and the other knights nodded. It was as if they were looking at a strange object, but at the same time, their gaze towards her had softened a little.

Santia, who was watching the scene, sat silently for a while before getting up from his seat.

“For now, let’s record the Holy Stone’s reaction in detail for the time being. We need to add variables to the strategy.”

Yulania turned her head slightly to look at him. He was still using a formal tone, but there was something subtly soft permeating his tone.

The meeting ended and the knights got up from their seats one by one. The story about Yulania and the Holy Stone was first shared only within Makari. In a state where they had not yet accurately grasped the royal family’s intentions, they could not give out only their information.

Yulania carefully wrapped the Holy Stone in her chest again. It was still weak and she didn’t know what it was, but it was definitely a power she possessed.

As she left the conference room, Diego’s voice from behind gave strength to her toes.

“Now Makari also has a new force led by the Duchess! I’m proud.”

Yulania didn’t look back, but she smiled at his words. The Holy Stone was quietly continuing to beat at the same rate as her heart.

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