Sera and Mirel stood frozen. But this stillness wasn't just out of fear or admiration.
Sera's gaze slid down from my face, locked onto something, and stayed there. There was a hungry, intense, and disturbing attention in her eyes.
Following her locked gaze, I looked down as well. And that "decisive" stance of mine was instantly shaken.
I was wearing nothing. I was completely naked. Those terrible moments flashed like lightning in my mind: I was already stark naked when I fell out the window.
They had scraped me off the ground in that state and carried me here. And now, I had just healed and risen like a deity, but in reality... I was just a naked man.
My modern sense of morality kicked in at that moment. My face flushed with heat.
"Ah..." My authoritative aura dissipated instantly. I reached for the cover on the bed and quickly wrapped the fabric around my waist.
A vague disappointment passed through Sera's eyes, but she recovered quickly.
"You..." Sera said, her voice still cautious, but her eyes drifted from the unconscious Lysa in her lap back to me. "Master? Do you... know us? Why are you so... embarrassed?"
This question felt like a trap. The old Clarean would probably have enjoyed this situation. I brought my hand to my temple; I needed to act.
"My head..." I said, grimacing with feigned pain. "Everything is blurry."
I shifted my gaze first to Sera, then to the trembling Mirel. I allowed them to look into my eyes, but I kept my stare blank. "What are your names?" I asked suddenly.
I tried to keep my voice distant and foreign. "I recognize your faces, they seem familiar but... your names are absent from my mind. Who are you?"
Sera's face fell, and Mirel covered her mouth with her hand. This question seemed to wound them more than physical pain could.
"I am Sera... Your bodyguard," Sera said, swallowing hard. "And that is Mirel. Your maid."
"And what about me?" I asked, fixing my eyes directly on Sera's. "Who am I? What is my name?"
Sera paused for a moment, as if saying the name itself caused her pain. "You are Clarean Elyuneth Faryel, Master."
I furrowed my brows. The name echoed in my mind, but my analytical mind immediately kicked in. "Elyuneth... and Faryel," I repeated slowly. "Two surnames? Why do I carry the names of two houses?"
Sera and Mirel looked at each other, then Sera took a deep breath, her voice holding a strange mixture of pride and sorrow.
"Elyuneth is the title you possess by birth from your sacred blood," Sera said, her eyes shining. "Faryel is... the military title you received during the mission where you saved the Queen nine years ago."
My thoughts froze for a moment. This detail wasn't in the book, I thought in astonishment.
Until the last page I could endure of that draft I read, no such event was mentioned. The author had just called him a 'useless, fallen noble' and moved on.
A cold wind blew through my mind. So, this bastard's story is much deeper than I knew. Before receiving the Faryel title, he had a past that those pages didn't tell. He wasn't just a drunkard; he was a fallen hero.
Sera immediately changed the subject. "As for where you are... You are in your home. And that blood... You had a small accident. You were on the balcony. You wanted to get some air. You lost your balance and fell."
"Accident?" I asked, not hiding the suspicion in my voice.
"Yes," Mirel jumped in immediately. "You... have been very tired lately, Master. You were sacrificing yourself to protect us. That's why... it was just an unfortunate moment."
My mind was sounding alarms. They are lying. I didn't try to commit suicide; I was running away from those lunatics! I stepped on a wine bottle and slipped. But they are wrapping this clumsy escape in a 'sacrifice' cover.
Just then, a mechanical window appeared in my mind. [SYSTEM WARNING: INCONSISTENCY IN TARGETS' PULSE AND EYE MOVEMENTS.]
[INITIATE LIE DETECTION PROTOCOL?]
No, I said internally, firmly. I don't need you to understand this, System. Even a blind man could see the panic in their eyes.
My eyes drifted back to Lysa. "She will live," I had said, but her condition still looked critical. She was pale. "What about her?" I said, pointing to Lysa. "What is her name? What happened to her?"
"Lysa..." said Sera. "She sacrificed her own lifespan to save you. She used her magic."
System, I thought. Is there a way to fully recover this girl? No answer came from the system. Editor?
That metallic voice echoed in the depths of my mind. "Magic is imagination, Leon... Abandon logic. Just wish for it."
Instinctively, I knelt, careful not to let the cover fall, and extended my hand to Lysa. I placed my fingers on her cold forehead. Wake up, I said internally. Wake up completely.
Golden halos leaking from my palm spread over Lysa's face. Color returned to her cheeks, her chest began to rise and fall. Sera held her breath.
"The Temple said you had lost your sacred power!" she whispered in horror.
Lysa opened her eyes. She was okay. "She needs to rest," I said, withdrawing my hand. The tension in the room, the discomfort of my nakedness, and this strange power were suffocating me.
"And I... I need to get cleaned up."
Wrapping the cover tightly around myself, I took a step toward the bathroom. "Mirel," I said. Mirel jumped. "Prepare the bath. And find me clean clothes."
Sera immediately jumped in, gently laying Lysa on the bed. "Let me help, Master."
My eye caught Sera's leg. Blood leaking from under her skirt was dripping onto the carpet on the floor. "No," I said firmly.
"You are injured, Sera. Your knee is bleeding. You cannot help me in that state."
Sera froze. "My knee? But... you never cared about such things."
"I care now," I said. "Sit down and look after yourself and Lysa. Mirel, come on."
Mirel cast a fleeting glance at Sera and led the way. When we entered the bathroom, she stopped by the large copper tub.
Her back was to me as she prepared the water, but the tension was readable in her shoulders. "The water is ready, Master," she said, her voice like a whisper.
"Okay," I said, standing in the doorway. "You can leave. I'll handle the rest."
Mirel didn't move. "Mirel?"
She turned to me slowly. That timid expression on her face was gone, replaced by a strange, sickly determination. "I can't, Master," she said. She was wringing the towel in her hands.
"With Sister Sera not here... this task is mine. I cannot leave you alone."
"You can," I said. "I am not a child."
Mirel took a step toward me. "You are our everything," she said, her eyes looking into the void. "You cannot remain dirty. Let me purify you... Please."
This wasn't a request. This was the declaration of an obsession that wouldn't accept rejection.
Editor! I screamed to the deepest corner of my mind. I don't care about the System or anything! What is this place? These aren't maids, they are wardens!
But no answer came. There was only the steam of the bathroom and Mirel's uncanny approach.