emperor chapter 29

Chapter 15 – Healing

“Don’t be too upset. Everyone makes mistakes.”

“Thanks, Parfait. But that doesn’t help.”

Apparently, I was the first person ever to fail the apprentice exam because of the written test, though there were cases of people passing the written test and failing the practical. No matter how much Parfait tried to comfort me, that fact remained unchanged.

“There’s a retake, a retake! As Minette now knows, the exam format is quite intense, so some apprentices lose their composure and can’t properly utilize their holy power. The temple is short-staffed, so they try to recruit through retakes as well. …Uh, but was there a retake for the written test… too?”

“.…”

It felt like a confirmation of my doom. Parfait, flustered, stammered, “I’ll find out!” and “There probably is!”

From top graduate to bottom-feeder in an instant! If my identity as a Saintess were revealed at this point, things would become quite complicated. I absolutely had to pass the next exam.

If there even was a next exam.

When I received the notification of failure for the apprentice priestess exam, I stopped having nightmares about Lowell.

If I returned to the Imperial Palace, I would meet Lowell again. After such a long time without seeing him, his presence had become hazy in my mind, and only the rational thought of avoiding contact with him remained, shaking my resolve.

And when I heard from Parfait about the retake, I began to genuinely grow fond of Caro.

***

On a cloudless, bright day, Parfait suggested an outing. It seemed she intended for me to get some fresh air, worried I might be feeling down.

“I’ll tell you about the Caro Duchy.”

That was her stated reason.

“Population, territory, diplomacy… what about?”

“Entertainment!”

“Ah.”

I couldn’t help but wonder if she was just using me as an excuse to go out and have fun herself.

Passing between buildings renowned for their sophisticated architecture, we arrived at the plaza. The people in the plaza were diverse in race and species, and their styles were different from those in the capital. If I had to compare, it felt a bit more… provincial. It seemed the trends from the capital spread to other regions with a delay.

That made sense, given the distance between Caro and the capital.

“This place is ruled by Grand Duke Corpus.”

“Grand Duke Corpus…?”

“Do you know him?”

“No. How could I possibly know such a high-ranking person personally?”

Good, my head was still attached to my neck.

As soon as I heard the name Grand Duke Corpus, I remembered he was the person Lowell had mentioned in order to bring me to his estate. Since she introduced him using the present tense, it meant he was alive and well. So, Lowell had taken care of things cleanly as promised? Given his perfectionistic personality, he would keep his word. Judging by the piles of documents in his office, his workload seemed incredibly heavy. Well, an emperor would have a lot on his mind. Besides me.

“….”

“Huh? Why did you suddenly stop?”

Could it be… was I disappointed? Was I, right now, feeling upset that Lowell didn’t seem to care about me?!

Overwhelmed by this disorienting confusion, I crouched down, clutching my head. Parfait, thinking I had a sudden headache, perhaps due to her profession, checked my complexion and took my temperature.

“Are you alright?”

“My head just throbbed for a moment. I’m fine.”

“Still, it’s probably too much for you to keep walking. Let’s head back to the temple for now.”

Feeling apologetic, Parfait said she got carried away with our outing and kept me out for too long. I wasn’t a three-year-old, and I had to reassure her it was fine, which almost gave me a real headache.

Having lived in Caro since childhood, Parfait knew the area like the back of her hand. The shortcut she led me through was narrow, but several times faster.

We entered through the main gate of the temple.

“Aaagh!”

As we walked down the hallway toward the chapel, a commotion caught our attention. The piercing scream was unmistakably that of a patient.

Pushing through the crowd of priests that had already gathered, Parfait and I approached the source of the scream.

It was the Hall of Healing.

The hall was essentially an examination room, the first place injured people went to receive treatment. The priest attending to the patient would assign a priest of appropriate rank depending on the severity of the injury or illness. Usually, it was handled by mid-rank or low-rank priests.

Among those gathered near the hall, I saw a few mid-rank priests. The fact that the screaming continued meant the injury must be severe.

Reaching the center of the crowd, we saw the critically injured person. Their entire body was a mangled mess; it was a wonder they even made it this far. They looked near death.

The screaming had stopped while we were on our way, but only because the patient had lost consciousness. The senior priest, emitting a lime-green light towards the collapsed figure, was sweating and anxious.

“They’ve lost consciousness! At this rate, they’ll soon…”

“I know! Damn it! They came too late. My ability can only barely hold onto their consciousness. How much longer until the High Priest arrives?”

“That’s… We sent a messenger, but there’s been no word yet.”

“Damn it!”