The castle’s infirmary. It was large and spacious, enough to house around twenty or so patients, and it was filled with the guests from before. The Royal Family was once again nowhere to be found. I figured they were probably in a special infirmary meant for VIPs. 

I was sitting on one of the beds, and Leila was sleeping on a bed next to mine. Thankfully, my previous diagnosis of her was proven right. A doctor came by earlier and checked up on Leila, he told me she just needed some rest.

I breathed a sigh of relief, but a question lingered on my mind. Did she collapse due to the explosion, or sheer overwork?

I had no doubts that my family would be here any second. But I was just here mainly to take a look at this “Saint” that the knight told me about.

Based on my own common knowledge, this country prided itself on its secularism, with no massive religions or divine truths to live by. Yet, here we were, a “Saint” amongst us.

I grew curious about it immediately and asked the knight for more details.

He’d explained a bit on the way to the infirmary. “The kingdom doesn’t officially call her a Saint, it started when she was appraised with Light Magic a year ago. Princess Munith called her that, and… well, the name stuck.”

It made sense, I suppose. People love their convenient labels, even if they don’t make much sense. Considering this world’s bad naming sense, I was kind of relieved she wasn’t called something like Healing Girl or something. 

I still remember how they called the game Old Maid “Dark Card”. Ugh.

Well, Saint or not, I was curious if healing magic really existed and I had to see it for myself. If a simple fireball could cause that much carnage, I wondered what a simple heal spell would be like.

Could it cure diseases? Maybe even regrow lost limbs? It would be grotesque, yes, but knowing that there was someone capable of doing that would put my mind at ease a little bit.

I continued to lay down on the stiff thin mattress when my hands brushed against the hems of my gown. It was torn and burnt beyond repair, Mother was going to be pissed.

Well, if I was going to wait anyway, I best focus on my other self. I needed to report the hideout’s location after all.

—

Seriously, there wasn’t a single knight or official I could report to on the way back home. If I couldn’t report that hideout’s location to someone in charge quickly, they might relocate. Believing that my only hope was Mother and Father, I turned my walking pace into a sprint.

Before long, I arrived at the street where my mansion was. The effects of the attack managed to reach their way here too. Normally, there would be people in fancy dresses and suits walking about, or even several carriages passing by, but no. The street was eerily silent.

I could see several servants standing in front of the Sareid mansion’s front gate, their eyes watching the billowing smoke in the distance. One of the maids standing there I recognized as Ressa. 

When I approached them, Ressa was the first one to tear her eyes off of the smoke and notice me. She gasped in surprise and then hurried towards me.

“Sir Feyt?! Shouldn’t you be with Eliza? Where is she?”

“I, uhh… lost her?” I threw my best excuse. God, it sounded even worse out loud. “But… that’s beside the point! Miss Ressa, where are the Instructors? The Duke and Duchess, I mean.”

“The Duchess? She just left for the castle by carriage. As for the Duke… He is still inside preparing to head out—”

“So he’s still here? Good!” Without waiting for further clarification, I sprinted past her.

“Sir Feyt?!”

This was the second time I dashed past a maid today, not sure what I should do with that information though. Anyway, after sprinting through the long-ass garden, I leaped through the heavy doors, not bothering to pause.

I climbed up the grand staircase, each step careful to not fall and tumble down. I had enough of head bumps.

I stopped just short of the ornate wooden doors, leaning heavily on my arm to catch my breath. Despite the urgency, I needed to appear composed. No one would take me seriously if I barged in looking half-dead.

After making sure I wouldn’t be heaving every few seconds like I just ran a marathon, which I kinda did, I straightened my shirt and wiped my sweat. After that, I knocked a few times on the hardwood.

“Who is it?” came a gruff voice from within, hurried but unmistakably Father’s.

I breathed a sigh of relief, he was here after all.

“Instructor! It’s me, Feyt! I have something you need to hear!!” I shouted.

There was a pause, then the sound of heavy footsteps approaching. The door swung open, revealing Father’s figure. He was wearing his usual suit, but I could tell he put it on in a hurry. His expression was a mix of surprise and irritation.

“Feyt?! Are you back from the tour? Listen, something dangerous is happening. You should stay in your room for now—”

“I know what happened already! The castle was attacked by a mage, right?” I blurted. 

Father froze mid-sentence, his gaze narrowing as he studied me. “So you knew.” He turned back toward his office, leaving the door ajar as he walked to grab his coat. “Sorry, but I need to leave immediately. Reyna is already on her way, and I can’t keep her and Carine waiting. Go to your room and stay there until—”

“Instructor! Please, wait!” I quickly moved to block his exit. “Like I told you, I have something important that you need to hear!”

“Feyt, I don’t have time for this!” His voice rose to a boom.

“Look, I know you’re worried about Carine—I am too! That’s why you need to listen to me!” I exclaimed, my voice desperate. After a short pause to calm my breath, I continued, “I saw the attack… I was there when the robed man shot the fireball.”

Father stopped abruptly, his eyes locking onto mine. Without warning, he dropped to my level, gripping my shoulders firmly. “Are you saying you saw the one who did this?!”

I nodded. “I don’t know who he is, but.. I managed to follow him to his hideout!”

“You WHAT?!” His voice thundered through the hallway. I felt my ears nearly busted just from his voice alone.

I stepped back instinctively, raising my hands. “I know, I know! It was reckless and all, but I couldn’t just stand there after seeing that!” I lowered my hands and looked Father straight in the eye. “That man shot a fireball at the castle, hurting not just the Prince, but also Carine. I couldn’t let him get away!”

Father’s grip on my shoulders tightened for a moment before softening. His eyes closed briefly, and he let out a heavy sigh. “I would’ve done the same…” he muttered, almost to himself.

Then, he stood up. His sharp, furious eyes locked ahead. “Show me.” Father’s arm rested on his sword’s hilt.

I nodded. “Got it! It’s in the square, follow me!”

Father and I walked down the grand staircase. When we reached the entrance lobby, Father excused himself for a moment and told me to wait there. In the distance, I could hear him chattering with some of the family’s personal knights and ordering them to follow him and prepare themselves for battle.

When he returned to the lobby, there were no less than a dozen knights behind him. Their metal boots clanging against the marble floors rhythmically.

Father walked up to me and handed me a sheathed sword with a leather sling, its design the same as the knights’. “Hold on to this, just in case.”

“Y-Yes!” I said, slinging the sword over my neck. Felt weird, not gonna lie. I did hold a sword before, but this was the first time I had to carry one on a walk. Not to mention, I was going there wearing nothing but a shirt!

If this turns into a full-on battle, I might be screwed.

This reminded me of that cave incident again. There, I also fought with no armor, but I managed somehow. Didn’t realize I was going to fight again so soon, but at least I won’t be fighting alone.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep