Rasmus and the others arrived at the capital city of the Suvistan Empire, where the South Neva Union headquarters were. Their arrival was unknown to the public since they didn’t use a fancy or grandiose carriage. Once they arrived at headquarters, Thalior, Lenin, Novia, Carrion, and Daryus came to greet them. However, when they saw Rasmus struggling to get down from the carriage, they were shocked by what had happened to them.

Rasmus was limping, using the cane to support his body as he walked up the stairs with Aris’s help. Daryus immediately walked down the stairs to help Rasmus walk up the stairs, and asked about what had happened to his legs. Rasmus told him that he was fine and there was nothing Daryus could do to help with his condition.

After struggling for quite a while, Rasmus reached the final step and stood in front of Thalior and Lenin. Serena was beside him, wearing a white robe and hood that covered her face. Videl still pretended to be a Paladin who had served Serena, hiding his face under the helmet.

“Everything alright, Count?” Lenin asked with her brows furrowed.

“Yes, everything is alright,” Rasmus answered as he looked down at his legs. “Her Holiness is waiting for me, and I don’t want her to wait any longer,” he said as he looked at both of them.

Thalior and Lenin nodded with understanding and guided Rasmus to where Astrea stayed.

The letter that Rasmus received a few days ago was about Astrea, who had regained consciousness. The world didn’t know about her condition, and only a handful of people knew. Based on the letter, Astrea had lost her divine power, and her body couldn’t be healed. She had been hiding in her chamber and forbade anyone to visit her. However, her last request was to bring Rasmus to see her.

“Her Holiness is behind this door, Count,” Thalior pointed at the door behind him.

Rasmus nodded, and then he left, leaving Rasmus alone in the long hallway.

“Please come in, Count,” Astrea’s voice could be heard from behind the door before Rasmus could even knock on the door.

Rasmus slowly opened the door and tried his best not to trip and fall as he entered the room. The first thing he saw were bandages that covered all over Astrea’s body, with only her left eye and mouth that weren’t covered by them. He bowed at her and then closed the door behind him, making sure nobody saw Astrea’s condition.

“Can you come closer, Count? I can’t see clearly. Everything is blurry…” Astrea said weakly.

Rasmus walked closer and saw the gray eye of Astrea, partially blind and the dried scars around her left eye. It was as the letter said, the scar all over her body after she got possessed by a cosmic being that couldn’t be healed.

He stood beside the bed, and Astrea squinted her eye to see Rasmus’s face. She then noticed the cane in his left hand to help him walk. She frowned when she found out that Rasmus was also injured. However, Rasmus immediately assured her that it wasn’t because of the war but from something else.

“Please, help yourself, Count,” Astrea smiled weakly, her dried lips that would bleed if she smiled too widely.

‎Rasmus dragged a chair and put it next to the bed before he sat on it. He placed the cane on his thighs and fixed his suit while Astrea watched him silently.

‎”You look terrible, Your Holiness. Did you sleep on the wrong side of the bed?” Rasmus asked with a straight expression as he stared into Astrea’s eyes.

‎Astrea coughed because the question caught her off guard. She quietly groaned in pain after she coughed because her body was aching, and the wounds all over her body were still open. She didn’t expect Rasmus to make a joke, but she knew he did that to lighten up the atmosphere.

‎”Count, please don’t make me laugh, it hurts quite a lot,” Astrea said weakly as she winced in pain. “Who would have thought, a man who always speaks of controversy to make a light-hearted joke…” she smiled at Rasmus.

Rasmus faintly smiled at Astrea, knowing that she had accepted her fate and wasn’t bothered by her condition. He observed her eye and expression, finding nothing but peace in them.

‎”Welcome back, Your Holiness,” Rasmus said with a soft gaze, pointing at her.

‎”Thank you, Count. However, I’m no longer a Saint, Count…” Astrea slowly and carefully shook her head so she didn’t feel any pain. “I have sent a letter back home. I’m stepping down from my position, and Aurelia will become the seventh Saint of the Holy Nation. So, just call me by my name, just my name is fine, Count,” she revealed as she stared blankly at the sheet that covered her legs.

Rasmus hummed and nodded with understanding, thinking that there was no other choice but to give the title to Aurelia. As Aurelia’s former instructor and teacher, he knew that she would be able to handle humans and read their personalities since he had taught her enough.

“May I know why you want to see me, Lady Astrea?” Rasmus asked.

Astrea smiled when Rasmus did exactly what she told him to do, unlike Thalior and the others who refused to get rid of her title even though she asked them to.

“Maybe I just need a friend, Count,” Astrea answered as she looked at her hands, which were covered in bandages with blood stains all over them. “Every face that I saw ever since I’ve been like this, they all looked at me with pity, and I couldn’t stand it. With that being said, I thought you would be someone who wouldn’t look at me like them, and I was right about it,” she looked at Rasmus and smiled softly at him.

“If that’s the case, should we have a drink?” Rasmus pulled out a bottle of wine from his spatial ring. “We both are in pain, a little alcohol would be a great choice for the occasion as well,” he looked at the expensive bottle of wine in his right hand.

“Count, I have never drunk alcohol because as a Saint, I have to keep my mind sharp…” Astrea paused as she looked at the bottle. “But, I guess I don’t mind tasting the nectar of false promise…” she chuckled.

“You described it better than anyone else could,” Rasmus chuckled as he poured the wine into a glass and then gave it to Astrea.

They both enjoyed the wine with a pointless conversation where it didn’t matter whether they would remember it later on. The room was heavy, but it became lively, full of smiles and soft chuckles or giggles, and the sound of clinking glass.

“When are you going to go back home, Lady Astrea? I believe Aurelia would be deeply worried when she heard about your condition. I had seen your affection toward her, you raised your daughter with love and taught her how to live as a future Saint. I also opened her eyes and faced the reality like how I did when she enrolled in the academy last year, but all of them will be meaningless when her heart is aching,” Rasmus said as he put down the glass on the bedside table.

Astrea took a moment to think of an answer as she stared down at the empty glass in her hand. She didn’t want her daughter to be worried sick, while her daughter became the Saint with lots of work to do, since the current situation in Neva with the emissaries of demons roaming freely. She didn’t want to become a burden on Aurelia, and she knew it would make things harder for Aurelia to do her job as a Saint.

“I’m not planning to go back, Count…” Astrea muttered.

“Then why bother living if you don’t want to see your daughter?” Rasmus asked.

At that moment, Astrea’s heart stopped for a moment, and a needle stabbed in the back of her eye. A tear lingered in Astrea’s left eye when she heard Rasmus’s question because it was hurtful. She knew the reason why she was still alive and could endure the pain all over her body was so she could live for her daughter, but when Rasmus asked that question, she realized that he wasn’t wrong.

“She has become a strong woman, and I can assure you of that. Guilt serves you nothing right now, and regret will follow after. Don’t spend the remaining days you have left with those things,” Rasmus said with a serious expression. “Stop thinking like a selfless person, your presence doesn’t matter anymore, but to her, you’re her everything. Live for her, just for her,” he continued.

Astrea’s tears fell to her chin when Rasmus could rip her doubts apart and could see through her. She slowly nodded her head, agreeing and taking Rasmus’s words to her heart. She realized that she would only spend her life with sorrow if she didn’t go back.

“I’m afraid, Count. I’m afraid to face my daughter like this. She would cry, and it would break my heart…” Astrea said quietly.

“Would you rather make her heart break because you don’t want to go back to see her? Which is worse?” Rasmus asked. “If you don’t want to be pitied, then stop acting pitiful and asking for it,” he continued.

Astrea still hesitated to show her condition to her daughter, and nothing could make her or her condition better.

“If you come with me, Count… perhaps I could bear it,” Astrea looked at Rasmus with a frown.

Rasmus thought about it for a moment, and it didn’t sound bad at all to go back to Central Neva. He remembered that he had to get his father’s journal, which would reveal the secrets of demonic cults that the world had long forgotten or hidden from reality.

“Then I’ll come with you, Lady Astrea,” Rasmus nodded.

Astrea smiled gently and nodded in gratification.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep