Hush Now, Saintess! - Chapter 120

Chapter 120

Translator: Yonnee

—

Anyway, handling incidents beyond the level of misfortune by myself was definitely going to be overwhelming.

“I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“…Whatever it takes?”

Hildeon nodded firmly with a determined expression.

“Then, the third condition.”

This was the most important condition.

“Your Highness, you must promise to help me without fail whenever I need it. Of course, I won’t ask you to do anything illegal.”

I quickly added a disclaimer, worried that Hildeon might hesitate.

However, contrary to my expectations, there wasn’t even a hint of hesitation.

“I swear on my title as the Empire’s Crown Prince.”

Instead of hesitating, he gave me an answer that was both burdensome and reassuring.

Facing his sincere and unwavering gaze, I couldn’t help but look away, feeling slightly flustered.

Wow… his gaze is so clear.

“Alright. Now, is there anything Your Highness would like to ask of me?”

“All I ask is that you keep this secret.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

When it comes to keeping confidential information, I’m top-tier.

If you want to last long in a workplace, you have to keep your mouth shut. And I was famous for my ironclad lips.

Though, it was a bit problematic that people kept treating me like a well you can dump your secrets into, forcing me to learn uncomfortable truths about the industry that I didn’t even want to know.

‘Oh, I should mention this too.’

As I thought about my past life as a former secret-keeper, something important came to mind.

“By the way, if anything does leak out, you can’t blame me, okay?”

There’s no such thing as an eternal secret.

It’s already frustrating to know secrets you don’t want to, but it’s even worse to be suspected as the one who spread them.

I’ve been through that several times before, so I know.

Besides…

‘In the latter part of the original story, Hildeon’s secret spreads throughout the empire.’

A few of Hildeon’s rampages played a significant role in that.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.

‘At some point, rumors just started spreading….’

It wasn’t clear where or how they began, but the source was never explicitly revealed.

“Don’t worry. I won’t ever suspect you, Saintess.”

While I was lost in thought about the original story, he reassured me.

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Only after receiving his confirmation for the second time did I feel a bit more relieved. Finally, I managed to smile, albeit faintly.

“Alright, we’re on the same side now, right?”

“The same side…”

He muttered quietly, nodding his head.

Good. Now that we’re allies…

“To celebrate us becoming allies, I’ll share a secret too.”

I swallowed nervously before continuing.

“The truth is, I have the ability to… see strange things.”

“Is that so?”

I had been prepared for him to think I was crazy, but his response was unexpectedly serious.

“What is it that you see?”

“…Arhopev’s energy.”

At the mention of Arhopev’s energy, Hildeon’s expression shifted to one of surprise.

Understandably so.

It wasn’t every day that a holy saintess claimed to sense the energy of Arhopev, not Luqera.

‘Well, it’s actually a lie.’

But I couldn’t exactly tell him about the system and the bugs, so I had to twist the truth a little.

Since the system mentioned that Arhopev’s power interacted with the bugs, I figured this much of a lie was fine.

“Have you always been able to see it?”

“Not since childhood, but for about a month and a half now.”

“A month…?”

“More specifically, since the first day I met Your Highness.”

“…Does Arhopev’s energy look cute, by any chance?”

Huh? What’s he talking about? Why would bugs be cute?

When I stared at him, unable to hide my confusion, he shook his head and muttered to himself.

“Never mind. In that case, it must really be affecting me…”

What is he talking about?

Anyway, I continued. This was the important part.

“And on that day, in addition to recovering the sacred relic, I also received another prophecy.”

“Another prophecy?”

“Yes. As the balance between Luqera and Arhopev crumbled, Arhopev’s energy scattered everywhere. That energy is now causing misfortune and catastrophes.”

“Misfortune?”

At the mention of misfortune, Hildeon reacted particularly sensitively.

“Why do you ask?”

Hildeon hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“My curse… brings misfortune to those around me.”

His voice was somber, and I could see his eyes shining.

Ah, so that’s it!

That’s why, during our first meeting, he acted like a lonesome wolf, saying something about how ‘your misfortune is because of me’.

Now it all makes sense.

‘Come to think of it, that’s also why he felt so lonesome in the original story.’

Especially during the Bastion rampage, when his long-time friend and most reliable ally, Hestin, was seriously injured. Hildeon blamed himself more than ever.

He thought the misfortune happened because of him.

‘I had forgotten about that part of his backstory.’

But that’s understandable. After all, this particular detail…

“No, Your Highness. It’s a misunderstanding.”

…was entirely Hildeon’s misunderstanding.