Chap 22

The coldness of the floor penetrated my whole body giving me a feeling of comfort, which helped me to regain my consciousness gradually.

I opened my eyes slowly and with heaviness due to the blue light coming through them.

When I opened them completely, I realized that I was no longer in the world of the goddess, but in the statue room inside the church.

... But it was a little different, the statues were covered with a thin layer of translucent blue ice and from my body, small balls of frost were falling to the ground.

My heavy breathing was visible and the mana in my body was so scarce that I had no strength to move.

-Chiiiir~.

The creak of a door opening brought me out of my stupor and led me to turn towards the source of the noise.

"What the hell happened?

exclaimed the same priestess who had guided me and given me the tour to and from the church.

With swift but firm steps, avoiding the layers of ice that smoothed the floor, the priestess approached me.

-Thuud-Thuud.

With a worried face and swift movements of her hands, the priestess shook my clothes, ridding them of the frost that harbored them.

"We can't stay inside the room, I'll clean it later, you must tell me what happened to you. -Said the priestess worriedly, who seemed to have noticed my condition since she held me in her arms and helped me stand up, "Hurry, down this corridor.

With quick and uncertain steps we walked through the beautiful and finely decorated corridor until we reached a huge door, which opened with a light chanting sound from the priestess.

-Thud.

With a knock that echoed dryly inside the room. we entered the room and approached a pair of blue couches where the priestess gently placed me.

-Tinkling-Tinkling.

-Thud.

As I watched the priestess approach a small desk where she seemed to be looking for something, I tensed my arms and exerted what strength I could on them to sit up and position myself where I could stand.

I concentrated my consciousness on my core in which I had managed to gather a pinch of mana on the way to the room.

-Haaa...

Concentrating fully, I moved my hand to my waist where a small pouch lay, which I opened, taking extreme care.

I moved my hand slowly, trying not to make any noise, and took a small glass vial cold to the touch.

I turned my gaze towards the priestess and checking that she was still concentrating on looking for something, I brought the jar closer, uncorked it, and placed it over my mouth.

-I swallowed.

A vicious and cold liquid entered my mouth and filled my taste buds with a bitter taste that ran down my throat.

I glanced at the empty bottle and moved it to the couch at my side.

The liquid I had taken was the mana recovery potion, which I had bought at the market earlier.

I felt that although in small amount and slowly, my mana was recovering.

-Gaah!

A groan of pain came out of my mouth, alerting the priestess, who stopped whatever she was doing and proceeded to run in my direction.

"You're in some pain;- exclaimed the priestess, as she grabbed my body by my waist and rested my head on her shoulder, looking for any injuries- Just hold on a little longer, I'm looking for a recovery potion!"

I nodded visibly towards the priestess, who began to move her hand away from my waist and proceeded to carefully withdraw.

-Thuud.

The moment the priestess withdrew a few centimeters from me, I ran my right hand down her back, tensed my feet, and exerted as much force as my current state would allow doing a spin on my axis.

At the moment of the turn, we both fell to the couch and I positioned myself over her while I conjured as much mana as possible into my hand and formed a spike of ice that enveloped her completely.

-Kuuhhhg!

A restrained moan came from the priestess' vocal cords as she felt the cold touch of the ice spike on her neck.

A silence filled us both as we stared into each other's eyes.

"Why are you doing this, I'm... I'm helping you."

-Gaagh!

In response to the priestess' words, I brought my beak closer to her neck, causing a small trickle of blood to spurt out of it and run down the beak, my hand and finally fall to the couch, staining it.

"You... Why are you helping me?"

"Why, why do you ask? it is not normal, for a priestess to help another person!"

I exclaim, with a shaky, forced smile.

"You said it yourself, aren't you a priestess. Why on earth would you then seek out a potion when you can seek me out, besides, the tour earlier, made it clear to me that you are someone of high rank."

My words seemed to generate some effect on her, as the smile that adorned her was completely erased and her face filled with chilling indifference.

"Being the son of a duke is reason enough for me to want to help you and you should understand that, but it seems like... You want to hide something, Adad."

His words struck me deep and generated a little doubt in me, but I forced myself to erase it.

There was something strange, from the moment he took me to the church, the guide through it and the entrance to the room of the statues, plus the way he seemed to be looking for something inside this room...

My instinct was telling me, the alarms inside my head were ringing non-stop, alerting me, that something was wrong.

"...You're not going to fool me, tell me the reason, why you brought me here."

At the sound of my words, a beautiful smile blossomed on the woman's face, and perhaps pressured by the lack of response or something else I tightened my force exerted on the beak cutting into her neck.

"So, let's talk. But the first thing you have to do is let go of me and don't worry a priestess can't use mana offensively."

Spoke the priestess in a hoarse voice and the instant she spoke the cut that was so far on her neck began to heal at an incredible speed.

The regeneration of her cut served as proof that her words were not lies, so I proceeded to disappear my ice pick and move away from her.

"Fuuuuu~. I never thought a duke's son could be this intense, I wonder if you'll be the same in bed?"

Said the priestess with a bit of sarcasm and a mischievous smile which were let down by her shaky legs that forced her to continue sitting on the couch.

"Stop the bullshit and tell me why you brought me here."

"Haa~ you have no patience;- she protested, as she removed a small cloak from her shoulders and revealed the same white dress from before, which did little to hide a pair of large breasts that stretched it- there are different ways to end up like you in the statue room."

She said as she paused as if wanting to speculate something.

Still not trusting her, I gathered my mana which had recovered by almost half, and activated Ice Heart while generating an ice spear like the one that had pierced my stomach in the goddess world.

"But this usually happens when it is your first time in contact with divine particles and you have the talent to be a Healer, or when-" The priestess once again paused, and took the opportunity to stand up and take a few steps towards me-"...You are a child of mana."

Instantly I moved my spear in the direction of her heart but there was no result, I had no time to think when my instinct screamed at me like crazy to move away, which I obeyed by tensing my legs and jumping backward.

-Baaam!

"You have terrifying instincts, your mana control is amazing and you're handsome too, I wouldn't expect anything less from a son of mana!"

Right where I was before my jump, the priestess's foot was planted on the ground, which had been quartered into pieces, if I had stayed there I...

"You thought a priestess couldn't kill someone, just because I can't use mana doesn't mean I can't use my body as a weapon."

Said the priestess, with the voice of someone who is about to burst out laughing.

"But it would really be a shame to kill you, so why don't we better talk, I'll tell you the reason and offer you a deal, and you might even like it..... What do you think?"

"For that first, I have to listen to you"

I answered, as the priestess sat back down on the couch and I positioned myself in front of her, though standing and with the spear in my hand.

"Surely as a nobleman, you have heard of the feast to celebrate the King's 53rd birthday, and I suppose as the son of a Duke, you must have heard about, the true purpose of this feast."

The real purpose, which of course was the announcement of the crown prince of the nation. Despite my lack of response, the priestess continued speaking.

"As everyone knows, the current favorite of the king is the first prince Silas, but you should know that his brother, the second prince will not give up so easily."

The second prince, Adu lazuli, is the main villain of the game along with Avas Blackgrey.

"I, of course, am proudly part of the second prince Adu's faction and the reason I swallow is quite simple. who wouldn't want to have a son of mana in their ranks!"

"You seem to be very well informed, then you must know that the Duchy of Hall is neutral as to who it supports as governor of the nation."

A smile formed on the priestess' mouth as she looked at me.

"Pfft~, there is always a solution, besides you are not even the heir to the house, so nothing is stopping you and especially you;- the priestess again paused and stood up while raising her two arms in a fighting stance- You only have two choices, either you join us... or you die."

*******************

"Oh, by the way, my name is Mellia Starbat and from now on I look forward to working together longer."

Said the priestess as she smacked her lips and raised her arm in greeting.

I turned and fixed my gaze forward and began to walk.

We had been talking for a long time inside that room, the sun was already setting, painting the sky a beautiful orange color.

We had talked about quite a few things, especially the plans with the second prince, to whom I had sworn allegiance with my life.

At first, it sounded like bullshit, but after thinking about it I realized that if I put it together with the plans I had so far it could end up in something good.

The only poverty was that it would take me away from the kingdom and history for an indefinite period of time and of course the neutrality of the Hall house in political matters.

As I was walking and thinking about the problems ahead and the best solutions a thought hit my head like a rocket.

Hall House.

"Shit, the meeting Keith organized!"

I had completely forgotten about it with so many things that had happened to me today.

Ignoring the people looking at me like a stranger around me I tensed my legs as much as I could and ran straight and without pause towards the mansion.

In a few minutes, I reached the entrance, where I jumped the railing and ignored the screams of the guards, I entered the corridors that and walked as fast as I could until I reached a huge door which I knocked to enter the room behind it.

-Thud.

My knock resounded inside the room, in which a sight that caused a shiver to run through my whole body flooded me. ....