Why was this happening?
Hadn’t the Lady Saintess been fine last night?
Shilo furrowed his brows, feeling deeply perplexed. After thinking for a moment, he gently nudged Lintis. “Lady Saintess, is something wrong with your health?”
Perhaps hearing his voice, Lintis’s eyelashes fluttered. Her tightly closed eyes relaxed, and her pained expression softened. 1 second later, she slowly opened her eyes. A pair of misty, slightly dazed eyes noticed Shilo beside her.
“Ah… Mr. Shilo, good morning…”
As she spoke, Lintis forced a weak, strained smile.
Shilo raised an eyebrow, his expression turning solemn. “Lady Saintess, are you sick?”
Looking at him, Lintis blinked and mimicked his serious expression.
“…Mr. Shilo…”
Her voice was very quiet, prompting Shilo to lean in to hear her clearly. Just as he was focused and waiting for an answer, the Saintess spoke again.
“I’m hungry…”
“…”
Shilo’s body froze. His lip twitched repeatedly, and his clenched fist let out a dull thud. “Lady Saintess! Please answer my question first!”
“Ugh… but I haven’t eaten anything since last night… My stomach is growling… Do you want to lean in and listen?” Lintis pouted and complained. Having said that, she pulled the blanket down to her waist and patted her small belly, seemingly intending to invite Shilo to listen.
Disinclined to deal with the shameless Saintess, Shilo snorted and turned to leave. He felt like an idiot. Given the Saintess’s energetic attitude, his concern was completely unnecessary!
“Hey!” Lintis exclaimed from her bed. “Mr. Shilo, are you just going to leave like that!?”
Shilo looked back and glared crossly at the Saintess, who was preparing to get up. “Lady Saintess, please wait here obediently!”
After speaking, he instinctively wanted to slam the door behind him, but he checked his strength at the last second and closed it gently. Lintis found it hilarious and covered her mouth to giggle.
‘How innocent~ Mr. Shilo~’
‘Hmm… but…’
Lintis touched her forehead. ‘Do I have a fever?’
Huh? What’s this?
She only then noticed a layer of dark patterns on her arm, which had been tainted by filth. Her blood vessels were prominently bulging, showing a small amount of bloodshot streaks. As for the small flesh tumors she hadn’t finished dealing with yesterday, there wasn’t a single trace of them left now.
“How strange…” Lintis muttered.
Before she could think further, footsteps sounded outside the door. She quickly lay back down and hid her arm under the blanket. The door was pushed open, and Mr. Shilo walked in with a dark expression, carrying a tray.
He went straight to the table, set the tray down, and looked at Lintis. “Lady Saintess, if you’re going to eat, hurry up.”
“Wow, it’s so grand. Did you prepare this specifically for me, Mr. Shilo? I’m so touched~”
Lintis blinked, exaggerating her amazement at the feast. Perhaps the praise worked, as Mr. Shilo’s expression softened slightly. He said, “You said you would guide me in swordsmanship. I thought it was only right to prepare more food for you.”
“Eh? Just that? I thought you made it specifically because you saw I was sick!”
Shilo rolled his eyes, speechless. “Lady Saintess, do you think I could prepare such a breakfast in the few minutes I was downstairs? Please use your brain when you speak…”
“Ugh… how mean… I’m sick, so what if my brain is a bit slow! Mr. Shilo, you really don’t know how to be considerate toward girls at all! You’re definitely never going to find a girlfriend like this!” Lintis pouted in dissatisfaction.
“Heh, what’s it to you? If you don’t want to eat, I can just throw it out!”
“Wait! No, no, no, I’ll eat!”
Lintis urgently stopped Shilo from clearing the tray, but looking at the table that was at least 3 or 4 meters away, she fell into silence.
Was… wasn’t this a bit far?
Honestly, she felt weak all over. Her body was numb, her joints were stiff, and there was a faint, persistent pain. Every movement hurt. Left with no choice, she looked at Shilo pitifully, her eyes full of expectation. “Mr. Shilo, how about you bring it to me? I don’t feel very well~”
Shilo glanced at her and said nothing. He silently picked up the tray, came to the Saintess’s bedside, and sat down.
“Go ahead. If you’re planning to ask me to feed you or something, I’m leaving immediately.”
These words immediately shut the mouth of Miss Lintis, whose laziness had just flared up. She looked at Shilo with a bit more resentment in her eyes.
‘I gave you a chance, but you’re useless… Is it really such a terrible thing to feed a beautiful girl like me? He really is a blockhead…’
She let out a soft huff to express her dissatisfaction. Lintis propped herself up, endured the pain, and picked up the bowl to take small sips. It was a bowl of oatmeal porridge with a bit of honey and crushed dried fruit. It was sweet and delicious~
Besides that, there were grilled sausages, fruit salad, vegetable soup, and grilled bacon.
Everything tasted great. Her hungry stomach was instantly satisfied, and before long, it was slightly bulging. Her small face, which had been uncomfortable due to the pain, now wore a blissful smile.
However… she kind of wanted to eat stir-fried dishes. The food Mr. Shilo made still fit the fantasy worldview too well. It was fine once in a while, but if she ate it too much, she would eventually need a change of pace.
‘Hmm… it’s decided. I’ll find an opportunity to cook for myself later~’
Lintis nodded her small head thoughtfully, leaving Shilo, who had finished cleaning up the dishes, somewhat confused. However, now was not the time to think about such things.
He sat back down by the Saintess’s bed and asked, “Lady Saintess, the meal is over. Now, please explain what’s going on.”
Hearing this, Lintis snapped back to reality and blinked, seemingly finding it very interesting. “Mr. Shilo, are you worrying about me?”
“…No, I’m just worried the teaching won’t be able to proceed…”
Lintis chuckled and playfully poked Shilo. After receiving a disgruntled look from him, she put on an “I really can’t do anything about you” expression. It made Shilo grit his teeth in frustration.
“Stubborn Mr. Shilo, since I’m so understanding, I won’t expose you this time~”
“But… next time you care about me, remember to say it directly. I’ll be happy that way. I really like the feeling of being cared for.”
Facing Lintis’s teasing, Shilo rolled his eyes and casually retorted, “Lady Saintess, would you ever lack people who care for you?”
“Of course I do!”
“Please stop joking. A person like you only needs to reveal your identity, and thousands of people would flock to adore you. Why would you need my concern…”
“That’s not it…”
Before he could finish, he was interrupted by a choked-up voice. Shilo glanced over.
The Saintess had her head lowered. Her eyes were dim, hiding a hint of grievance and helplessness that made one’s heart ache. This unexpected expression made Shilo freeze. He wanted to say something but found he had no idea what to say. For the first time, he hated his own clumsiness with words.
The Saintess shook her head at that moment and forced a thin smile.
“It’s okay… Mr. Shilo.”
“Just… please don’t say things like that anymore. Don’t let my appearance fool you; I actually have very few friends. So… if Mr. Shilo cares about me, I’ll really be happy. Please tell me properly next time~”
“…Fine.”
After a moment of hesitation, Shilo nodded. Hearing him say that, the Saintess smiled. It was the first time Shilo had seen such a smile—it was shy and reserved, yet it felt more striking than any moment before.