DLRV 17

Rather than being resurrected with my head intact, surviving a fall from a horse with only minor injuries felt more like a divine blessing.

Well, if you think about it, after going through the trouble of reattaching my head, it would be quite frustrating for a god if I were to die from something as trivial as falling off a horse.

After checking all the visible wounds, Samuel took out a rolled-up piece of paper from his belongings. He placed a few sheets on the ground, and just as he seemed to concentrate at his fingertips, a sudden burst of white flames flared up.

“It may be a cave, but a campfire would likely attract the search party’s attention. However, this should be fine.”

“That… is that fire?”

It looked like fire, yet the paper wasn’t burning at all. Rather than consuming it, the flames seemed to simply be holding their shape.

“Condensed divine power retains a high-temperature heat, enough to keep you warm.”

“Isn’t divine power something you have to constantly expend energy to maintain? That seems incredibly inefficient.”

Despite my blunt criticism, Samuel remained indifferent and simply expanded the flames.

Even though the fire was only about the size of a fist, it radiated a considerable amount of heat. It was almost ironic—he manifested such warm divine power with that icy-cold face of his.

“Even so, enduring the cold night air in this condition would be foolish.”

“Rather than wasting divine power like this, wouldn’t it be easier to just take me to the village?”

At my question, Samuel fell silent for a moment before calmly responding.

“The search party from Roam is likely still in the village. Do you wish to encounter them?”

“Oh, so you can’t turn me over to Roam. I guess that was a dumb question.”

Right. If he handed me over to Roam now, they might take me away. He’s waiting for them to leave so he can capture me quietly.

As I gave a careless shake of my head and moved to lie down on the cloak I had roughly spread on the ground, Samuel suddenly removed his outer garment and laid it over the cloak.

“The cold from the ground will seep in.”

“…Even if you act kind, I have no intention of cooperating with you.”

“No matter how minor your wounds may seem given the accident you experienced, you are still an injured person. It is only right that you are treated accordingly.”

“…”

My eyes narrowed slightly at Samuel’s words.

So, his kindness was only because I was injured.

He must assume that my wounds will keep me bedridden for several days. But at the rate my body has been healing, I’ll probably have enough strength to run away by morning.

Of course, I had no intention of informing him of that fact.

“Nadav, come here.”

Lacking the energy to argue with Samuel, I chose to simply ignore him.

As he said, going outside now might mean running into the soldiers searching the forest with torches.

“So, you truly can control monsters.”

Samuel frowned as he watched Nadav, who had a massive body, quietly sit down beside me.

“I don’t have that kind of ability.”

Samuel didn’t seem convinced at all. It didn’t really matter to me whether he believed it or not, but I’d rather not be misunderstood as someone who could ‘control’ monsters.

“I simply don’t turn away creatures that take a liking to me. Excluding humans, of course. Even without humans, there are plenty of living beings on this land that deserve the gods’ love.”

I expected him to get furious, claiming I was misinterpreting divine benevolence. Instead, Samuel merely stared at me in silence.

Feeling a little uncomfortable under his gaze, I was the one who ended up looking away first.

His attitude seemed strangely softer compared to our first encounter, and for some reason, that bothered me. Did something change his mind along the way?

Honestly, I preferred it when he acted like a religious fanatic—it was easier to deal with.

“How did you find me?”

Changing the subject, I asked casually, and he answered just as calmly.

“It was a good decision to leave a trail of blood leading in the opposite direction, even if only briefly. Sir Arin led the search party in that direction.”

The blood on the ground had come from an animal—a rabbit that had been trampled under Nadav’s hooves.

I had threatened Nadav, saying that if he didn’t run in the opposite direction immediately, I would kill him. Startled, the injured rabbit fled, and since it wasn’t a fatal wound, it must have gotten quite far.

I thought it was a pretty decent trick for something done on the spot, but he figured it out anyway? Wow, the more I learn about this guy, the more I dislike him.

“I wasn’t asking for a compliment. I asked how you found me.”

“I cannot tell you that.”

“I’m going to die of curiosity. Once is coincidence, twice is luck, but by now, it’s reasonable to be suspicious.”

What exactly was he sensing?

“Did you put some kind of tracking spell on me?”

“I do not use magic.”

“Then what?”

“The only power I possess is the blessing granted to me by the gods.”

Religious fanatics!

I shuddered at his faith-filled answer and asked sharply.

“Are you saying the gods gave you the ability to track people?”

Faced with my persistent questioning, he finally turned away. It was a rare and obvious reaction from someone who usually remained so composed.

“Get some rest.”

He was avoiding the question so blatantly that it only made me more determined to find out.

Frowning, I pushed myself off Nadav and approached him.

“Sir Samuel.”

As I reached out to touch his arm, he moved first. His large hand stretched out in an instant and wrapped around my neck.

At the same time, Nadav brought his massive sword to Samuel’s throat, as if ready to behead him on the spot.

“Take your hands off the captain!”

“Nadav. Put the sword away.”

Though he had grabbed my nape, he wasn’t applying any force. It was closer to a gentle touch, following the curve of my skin.

It wasn’t an attempt to strangle me. I could feel the rough texture of his glove brushing against my neck, right over the scar left from where my head had been reattached.

Samuel stared at the scar in silence before slowly parting his lips.

“It’s because you are a revenant.”

Despite his indifferent expression, his touch was surprisingly careful. He almost seemed fascinated.

Was he actually sensing traces of the divine power the god had used to reattach my head?

If that were the case, wasn’t that a bit too much? Not only had they resurrected me without my consent, they had also left a trace on my body that allowed me to be tracked?

At this point, calling it a divine “blessing” seemed absurd—it felt more like a divine curse.

“No matter how many times you run, I will find you in the end. Wouldn’t it be better to stay by my side instead?”

He released his grip and withdrew his gaze. Then, pulling out a few more rolled-up papers from his coat, he expanded the flames ignited by his divine power.

“I won’t stop you from running. But rather than entrusting your safety to a monster, entrust it to me.”

I was surprised that he wasn’t going to stop me from fleeing. His suggestion that I rely on him instead of a monster didn’t surprise me at all.

For a holy knight like him, “guarding” me would ultimately mean delivering me back to the temple.

If I let him stay by my side, my final destination would inevitably be the temple.

As I scoffed, Nadav, who had been watching with his sword lowered, let out a ferocious growl.

“Nadav, hold back.”

“Captain, I’ll cut him down right now.”

“I said hold back.”

That man possesses one of the greatest divine powers in the temple, and you’re a monster of darkness. This isn’t the same as fighting regular soldiers. You could actually be annihilated.

Since I couldn’t say that outright, I simply gave Nadav a firm stare.

You were awakened because of me, so shouldn’t you understand what I mean without me having to spell it out?

When I put force into my gaze, Nadav slumped his shoulders and backed away, looking like a scolded dog with its tail tucked between its legs.

I stopped you because I was worried about you—did you even understand that properly?

I was about to say something else to Nadav, who had clearly misunderstood my intentions, when Samuel suddenly spoke up.

“The man who was with you ran off alone.”

A man who was with me?

Not sure what he meant, I turned to look at him—and then finally remembered my forgotten companion.

Ah, so Xenon managed to escape without being caught by the temple soldiers. Nesi was with him, and he had spent a long time as a wanderer, so I figured he’d slip away just fine.

“At least he got away safely. That’s a relief.”

Technically speaking, I was the one who ran off alone. I had abandoned Xenon without a second thought.

I’d left him behind without even a proper explanation—he must have been completely dumbfounded.

Seeing me so nonchalantly worrying about Xenon’s well-being, Samuel frowned.

Whatever was bothering him, it was enough to break the calm he had been maintaining. A faint trace of irritation flickered across his face.

“Do you only ever surround yourself with people you can’t trust?”

No, not irritation—he seemed frustrated.

After hesitating for a moment, Samuel finally spoke in a restrained tone.

“The one who shot at you with an arrow was Sir Arin.”

Ah.

I wasn’t exactly surprised or betrayed, but it still left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Arin shot at me… That must mean Roam had ordered his men to capture me by any means necessary.

That was an awfully aggressive order for someone searching for his beloved daughter.

I could guarantee my father’s command had been simple: “As long as she’s breathing, secure her at all costs.”

“I heard he was once your knight. A knight who threatens the lady he once served with a bow—such a thing is unheard of.

Even knowing that you could have died from the fall, he still shot.”

Samuel’s voice carried unmistakable disdain and contempt.

Perhaps, as a fellow knight, he felt shame on Arin’s behalf.

And just like that, I understood why his attitude toward me had been so strange since we reunited.

“If that’s what stirred your pity—”

Showing such emotion… how utterly useless.

To pity me, of all people.

“Forget it. I don’t need it.”