The Price of Breaching the Contract - Chapter 55

Around dawn, the red-haired woman visited the clinic. Gone was her usual flamboyant appearance; Angela, her long hair hastily tied up, was carrying a pile of old books and papers.

Santia recognized her, and as he turned, Angela quickly greeted him.

“Greetings, Duke. I heard the Princess was unwell and came as quickly as I could. Please forgive my disheveled appearance.”

Santia knew well that she was Yulania’s informant. They weren’t personally acquainted, but her striking appearance made her instantly recognizable.

“Do you know something?”

“Yes, a little… I’ve gathered some potentially helpful materials, though they aren’t definitive.”

Santia had received the information Angela provided about Nutswood last time. Angela was a rare talent, fiercely loyal and highly capable. Santia tended to trust the information she brought.

Inside the quiet clinic, after Yulania had fallen into a deep sleep, Santia and Angela continued their conversation in hushed voices. On a small desk in a corner of the clinic, ancient documents and copies of old books, smelling of dust, piled up.

“I wanted to mention something I found suspicious,” Angela said cautiously. She took a breath, organizing the heavy stack with both hands before continuing. “I’ve gathered almost all the records related to the Holy Stone, in particular.”

Santia listened intently, nodding.

“Many texts suggest that demons came into existence later than humans. Ancient records repeatedly tell of a large-scale war between humans and demons.”

Angela pointed to a passage in one of the documents she had opened.

“Here, this part.”

Santia leaned in to read the text. In faint handwriting on the old paper, it read:

[Humans pushed back the demons, but could not sever them forever. Their seeds remain in the darkness, to stain the world once more.]

It was like a short, ominous prophecy. Santia pressed his lips together. After a few seconds of silence, Angela continued.

“And the ‘Holy Stone’ seems to have been used by humans for a very long time to repel demons. The details differ in each record, but one thing is consistent.”

“What is it?”

At Santia’s question, Angela took a breath.

“The Holy Stone is not just a simple tool.”

“…”

“The most credible story is that it can only unleash its true power when connected to a certain being.”

Santia’s face hardened.

“A being.”

“Yes.”

Angela hesitated, then pulled out a small memo. It contained a sentence extracted from a text even older than the other ancient books.

[The true power of the Holy Stone comes from a saintess with benevolent compassion.]

In the quiet clinic, Angela’s voice echoed as she recited the words. Santia took a deep breath.

“Sounds like something out of mythology.”

“Yes.”

Angela nodded.

“The source isn’t reliable, and it’s practically considered a legend. But…”

“But?”

“It strangely bothers me. A feeling, perhaps.”

Angela slowly reread the sentence. Holy Stone, saintess, compassion.

The sun rose to its zenith and slowly began to descend, and Santia and Angela continued their conversation.

Joel occasionally approached quietly to check on Yulania’s condition, and retreated again when there was no significant change. The topic of their conversation grew deeper.

The reason why the King had given Yulania medicine to suppress her emotions.

“The suppression of emotions may have hindered her awakening as a saintess,” was Angela’s opinion.

“In that case, the King…”

Santia pressed his lips together. He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence. It would be acknowledging the terrible reality that the person who had committed a sin against Yulania was her own father.

“And,” Angela carefully opened another record. “The time when the Princess started taking the medicine and the time when the appearance of demons became more frequent strangely overlap.”

“…”

“It could be a coincidence. But all the pieces fit together so perfectly.”

Santia lowered his head. The stories seemed like different pieces, but now they were forming a single picture, terribly smoothly.

Soft sunlight streamed into the clinic. Yulania was still lying in bed, but her breathing was even and calm. Instead of a red flush, a peaceful vitality had returned to her face. Joel approached and took her pulse.

“She’s improving.”

Santia and Angela, who had been holding their breath, simultaneously sighed in relief. Then, Yulania’s eyelids slowly fluttered, and she faintly opened her eyes.

“Santia?”

It was Yulania, her voice soft and weak, but definitely alive. Santia swallowed. Yulania looked at the ceiling with blinking eyes, then turned her head to look at Santia and Angela in turn.

“Even Angela. Have you both been by my side?”

“Of course,” Angela replied with a smile. Yulania felt especially grateful and glad to see them both today. She felt like reaching out and hugging them.

“Are you dizzy, or do you feel any pain?” Joel asked. Yulania slowly moved her hand and touched her body. A look of surprise gradually spread across her face.

“…My body feels light. Like a lie.”

Joel, with a relieved expression, took her pulse again.

“The fever is gone, and her heartbeat is stable. I’m relieved.”

At those words, Santia briefly closed his eyes. It was a miracle.

The Holy Stone in Yulania’s arms was now stable. It was still yellow, but the soft color was much deeper and clearer than before, shining around the stone in a circle.

“Princess,” Angela hesitated before speaking. “We’ve been organizing our findings all night. Would you mind listening?”

“Of course.”

Yulania slowly sat up. Santia supported her from the side, and she was able to straighten her back naturally.

“Tell me.”

Angela took a deep breath.

“We couldn’t understand why the medicine you were taking had the effect of suppressing emotions, so we looked into it further. We’ve come to the conclusion that it’s related to demons.”

Yulania looked at Angela with surprised eyes. Then Santia added, “The time when you started taking that medicine and the time when the Devils, the demons, started appearing in large numbers overlap.”

Yulania swallowed.

“What does that mean?”

A moment of silence passed, and Angela cautiously opened her mouth.

“Perhaps, Princess.”

She couldn’t finish the sentence.

Yulania waited quietly.

“Perhaps… Princess, could you be, a saintess?”

The clinic became so quiet that it was hard to breathe for a moment. Yulania sat there as if frozen.

Saintess.

The word sounded like a distant legend. But at the same time, it felt strangely familiar.

As if, from long ago, somewhere inside her, she had been waiting for this moment.

Support