The Esper Grand Duke Wishes For Purity - Chapter 14
“Would you like more?”
“…Yes.”
The savage aura swirling around Kylus was nothing like the modern-day Ha Sehyeon. It had the distinct, clear form of an enraged black dragon. Heejae, distracted by that presence, snapped back to his senses at Kylus’s question.
As he quietly accepted the water being poured into his cup, Heejae’s attention was drawn to his own hand holding the glass. The skin was excessively pale. His wrist looked so slender that he doubted he could even hold a handgun if he were dispatched on aGate mission; just the recoil might be enough to break his bones.
Thinking of the sturdy body he’d built up through the basic physical training all Guides were required to undergo at the Ability Users’ Union, and the tanned skin he’d gotten from living with skepticism toward sunscreen…
What on earth did the author of this novel imagine?
One thing was certain: he was the only one who’d been remodeled in appearance. The Ha Sehyeon in front of him—no, Grand Duke Kylus—looked so much like Ha Sehyeon that it reminded him of when he’d begged Sehyeon to go to an amusement park and make a fool of himself in fancy costumes for a commemorative photo.
Except for those strangely glowing eyes (from lack of guiding) and the ornate uniform, even the atmosphere was similar. He really wasn’t making excuses for mistaking him for Sehyeon and doing direct contact-guiding through s*x—he really was that identical.
Since Ha Sehyeon had started rejecting him, he’d been running on a guiding deficit for quite a while, so, aside from the clothes, everything else was basically the same.
If he had to force himself to find a difference, maybe it was the cloak making his shoulders look broader. With him sitting at the edge of the bed, it felt like the whole room was blocked from view.
Maybe it was the black aura coiled on those massive shoulders, but the man felt like the lord of a demonic castle. For some reason, Heejae’s ankles were already feeling itchy. He hadn’t noticed earlier, but there was something in Kylus’s gaze that could really drain a person’s energy.
Well, the eyes are a little different too.
“Gui…”
Heejae dropped his gaze and rephrased.
“No, um, you seem to be in urgent need of purification.”
Kylus’s eyes widened slightly. He’d probably never heard anything like that from a priest before. He wouldn’t even suspect that Heejae could see right through his aura.
In this land, priests who served the Goddess and exterminated miasma—Holy Knights, or Espers—were not gentle to their kind. The priestly class was one that would, like dripping water onto the lips of a knight dying of thirst, grant divine power sparingly and keep them hanging until death.
The most maddening thing was that the entire Holy Knight order took this for granted. They considered it an honor to serve the Goddess, practice abstinence, and slowly waste away.
“I am fine.”
Of course. Just as he expected. Heejae felt a bit stifled.
“You’re in the perfect state to go berserk, though.”
If you go berserk, I’ll lose my ankles and the world ends.
“Berserk?”
“Yes.”
As he repeated the question in confusion, Heejae simply replied without any correction. Kylus then corrected the term.
“Ah, you mean dissipation. Don’t worry. I haven’t skipped a single purification ritual, morning or evening. I haven’t had any symptoms like auditory hallucinations yet.”
The purification ritual referred to bathing in water steeped with sacred plants. It was often mentioned in the novel, so he remembered.
What the—like someone on the verge of starvation bathing in vegetable juice instead of eating it…
The man who claimed to be fine smiled so warmly, it was almost hard to believe. Heejae felt a little choked up.
“You’re really not fine. Even though I gave it my all last night in that freezing place to purify you, look at your condition now—how badly have you been… I mean, not managed yourself?”
“……”
Heejae shot off his retort, then froze when Kylus clamped his mouth shut. This was a society with a strict social hierarchy, and he was the ruler of the vast northern territories.
No matter how vulnerable he was to priests as a Holy Knight, he was still a Grand Duke of imperial blood, and Heejae was just a commoner priest. Just because he was being treated gently didn’t mean he could speak so casually.
Besides, it wasn’t as if Kylus had the luxury of taking care of himself. Out of habit, he’d scolded him like a thoughtless Esper.
With his eyes darting around nervously, Heejae added an excuse in a slightly meek voice.
“I’m sure you must be in a lot of pain, sir. I’m not so stupid as to just take reassurance at face value.”
“……”
Still, Kylus said nothing.
Kylus stood stiffly, avoiding Heejae’s gaze. Heejae tried to see if he was angry, but couldn’t meet his eyes to judge.
“Your Grace the Grand Duke?”
Heejae tilted his head and searched for his gaze. When their eyes finally met, Kylus’s face flushed faintly, making Heejae wonder if he really was angry, so he sullenly pouted.
It was clear that adapting here would take a lot of effort. He let out a sigh without meaning to.
