Hush Now, Saintess! - Chapter 71
Chapter 71
Translator: Yonnee
—
‘Oh, there’s nothing here?’
Apart from the dust that had settled on his back, there was nothing else to find.
Luckily, it didn’t seem like the cat had scratched him.
But why the heck did he say that it stung?
“I don’t really know, but… Let me get rid of the dust for you.”
“Thank you for helping.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
I answered like that as I reached out my hand to his back.
Something was slowly rising among the dispersed dust.
‘That’s…?’
Unlucky dust.
Since it was the second time I’d seen it today, I was sure of its identity.
And sure enough, an alarm popped up.
Ding—!
〈 Mission Alert!
– Remove the Unlucky Dust!
Unlucky dust has attached to Hildeon’s back? Let’s brush it off!
– Reward: Reputation +3 / The person’s discomfort will decrease / Additional stat points +10
– Failure: Reputation -3 / The failure rate of bug missions will increase 〉
As I read the mission, I furrowed my brow in thought.
‘Can unlucky dust get attached to one person twice?’
I had already dealt with the dust on Hildeon before.
But now, it appeared once again.
Oh, maybe…
‘Could it be because of the curse?’
That seemed plausible.
Bugs were said to feed and grow from negative emotions or feelings.
Similarly, it might be growing from Arhopev’s curse.
‘In that case, could the reward ‘the person’s discomfort will decrease’ be related to it?’
This, too, was a reasonable inference.
If there was a connection between the bug and the curse, removing the bugs might also have some effect on the curse.
In the original novel, he had always suffered due to the curse, after all…
That’s when I remembered something I had momentarily forgotten.
‘Come to think of it, this guy ‘fainted’ here!’
I had temporarily forgotten about it due to the commotion with his seemingly perverted favor.
I belatedly asked the question that should have been asked earlier.
“By the way, are you alright, Your Highness?”
“Hmm?”
“You, um… fainted here.”
“Ah.”
He replied briefly as if he had also forgotten about it.
“Should I call a priest or someone else right now?”
“No, it’s alright.”
Yeah, I guess so.
If more people gather here, it might reveal something about the curse.
I had just asked as a formality.
“So, um…”
“…Is that all?”
“What do you mean?”
When I widened my eyes and asked, his lips curled slightly.
“The reason you fainted here…?”
After a pause.
“No, never mind.”
I avoided his gaze and said this.
But I gulped dryly and extended my paused hand again.
I had hoped not to get involved with Hildeon, but I couldn’t avoid it anymore.
Besides, I couldn’t avoid the mission either.
In such cases, I had to act according to my motto.
If you can’t avoid it, just do the hula dance!
“Then, I’ll brush it off.”
I said decisively and reached out my hand.
* * *
That evening.
The long yet short early summer sun was beginning to set.
Back in his room within the palace, Hildeon let out a sigh.
“From how heavy your sigh is, the ground might collapse.”
“Hestin.”
He stopped his sigh.
The one who interrupted was his subordinate, Hestin, who had entered the room.
“Do you not know how to knock?”
“Yes, I did. It seems like you didn’t hear it, though.”
“Oh, really.”
Hildeon muttered softly and wiped his face.
Haa.
Another shallow sigh escaped him.
Seeing him sigh repeatedly, Hestin raised an eyebrow indifferently.
‘No, seriously, what happened?’
When he went to find Hildeon because it’s been a while since returned, he found him alone.
At the entrance of the temple, he encountered Hildeon, covered in dust and wearing a dusty robe.
In a hurry, Hestin approached him, but his complexion was better than he had expected.
No, he even looked better than just alright.
It was a relief, considering Hestin had worried if he had collapsed somewhere in pain.
However, Hildeon’s expression seemed strangely dazed.
Although he appeared as cold and aloof as always, Hestin noticed a very subtle change.
—Are you alright, Your Highness?
—…Cutie.
—Huh? Me?
—What a dreadful thing to assume.
The two of them exchanged glances for a moment, then silently returned to the palace in the carriage.
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