“Prince!”
I rushed to Prince Lucas, who had collapsed. He was sweating on his forehead and breathing heavily.
“Sorry, could you carry me to the room right over there…?”
“Understood.”
I put the prince’s arm around my shoulder and carried him to the nearby room as instructed. It was one of the many reception rooms in the Royal Castle. I locked the door from the inside just in case and laid Prince Lucas down on the sofa.
The prince, lying on his back on the sofa, pressed his left arm against his eyes.
“Thank you, Hugh. It was a bit forceful, but thanks to you, I’m saved. How did you notice…?”
“I just had a feeling you were pushing yourself too hard. Besides, you said it yourself the first day we met, that you could suppress your power to some extent by covering your eyes.”
In other words, he couldn’t control his power without covering his eyes. The information that Prince Lucas didn’t want to see must have been flooding into his eyes like a tidal wave. That burden must have been tormenting Prince Lucas with intense pain.
I’m glad I noticed. If I hadn’t switched to the «Ninja» Skill, I wouldn’t have noticed the subtle changes in Prince Lucas. If he had continued to endure and deal with the nobles, Prince Lucas would have collapsed eventually.
“Please don’t push yourself too hard. Rouge will worry.”
“…I can’t help it. Tonight’s Night Soiree is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. There aren’t many opportunities for so many nobles to gather. …It’s like my father’s funeral. If I don’t push myself here, I’ll never get the throne.”
“Why do you go so far…?”
“Now, why would that be?”
Prince Lucas had an ambiguous smile on his face. Marquis Puridi had said that he might tell me his true intentions, but it seems that Prince Lucas doesn’t intend to do so.
But, is it just my imagination, or does it look like he’s trying to hide his embarrassment…?
“I understand. But you can’t go back to the Night Soiree like that, can you? I’ll go get Lecty. If she heals you with her Skill, the pain should subside a little.”
“…No, that’s no good. If you take Lady Lecty out of the Night Soiree, it will raise more suspicion. You’ve already forcefully taken me out of the Night Soiree. You shouldn’t draw any more attention.”
“Then—”
“Why don’t you heal me?”
“…………Huh?”
“You can switch your Skill to «Holy Maiden». Then, you should be able to do the same thing as Lady Lecty, don’t you think?”
“Ah…”
I hadn’t thought of that. Certainly, if that’s the case, there’s no need to go and call Lecty.
But, wait a minute.
“«Holy Maiden»…? At least «Saint» or «Cleric»…”
“A Saint is a title given to a Holy Knight who fought against the enemies of the Divine Blessing Church and died a martyr, and a Cleric is just a role in the Divine Blessing Church, right?”
…Now that he mentions it, that’s true. The reason I think that «Saint» or «Cleric» would have healing powers is because I have knowledge from my previous life’s games. In this world’s perception, the roles of Saint and Cleric don’t have an image of healing.
Considering that I’m actually able to use the «Ninja» Skill, it feels like my image is reflected in the Skill rather than the general common sense… However, it might be more certain to switch to the «Holy Maiden» Skill.
…But, is it going to be okay? I hope my body doesn’t turn into a girl the moment I switch to «Holy Maiden»…
The «Brainwashing» Skill is too unpredictable, and I’m honestly scared to try it.
“Hugh, I’m sorry, but we don’t have much time to worry. I think Marquis Puridi will protect her, but the nobles might be swarming around Lady Lecty, who we left behind.”
“…I understand.”
There’s no point in hesitating… Even if there’s a change in my body, I should be able to switch back to normal by switching Skills… hopefully.
Just in case, I used the «Ninja» Skill to check for any presence in the room and the hallway, and after confirming that no one was there, I took out a hand mirror and canceled the «Brainwashing» on myself.
“Hugh Pnosis. Your Skill is… «Holy Maiden».”
I felt something click in my head.
I instinctively touched my face, chest, and crotch in that order to check for any differences from usual. …Good, I haven’t turned into a girl!
Just in case, I checked my status, and the Skill was indeed «Holy Maiden». It seems that my body doesn’t need to be female.
Skill: Holy Maiden Lv.Max …Governs healing and purification, and gains the power to ward off evil.
The Skill description is simple, so it must be a powerful type. Like the other Skills, I intuitively grasp what the «Holy Maiden» Skill can do. For now, it seems like I can use «Heal» to treat Prince Lucas. It seems to have the effect of alleviating pain as well.
“It seems like it worked out well. Well then, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Understood. «Heal».”
I held my right hand over Prince Lucas’s eyes and activated the Skill. Then, a pale yellowish-green light overflowed from my hand and was absorbed into Prince Lucas.
“This should recover the damage. It’s just a temporary measure, though.”
“That’s fine. …By the way, Hugh. Can you sense what the «Holy Maiden» Skill can do and to what extent…?”
“Yes, well, kind of. If I focus, I can sense it somehow…”
“Then, I want you to tell me about the «Cleanse» that Lady Lecty used on my father. When I asked Lady Lecty, she only answered, ‘I just had a feeling that this would help the King.’ It seems she doesn’t understand her own power.”
She doesn’t understand her own power…?
Could it be that the level affects the degree of understanding of the Skill?
…No, maybe it’s the opposite.
The degree of understanding of the Skill is displayed as the level…?
In any case, «Cleanse», huh? The effect is as the word suggests, the power to remove and purify the magic and toxins in the body. It’s effective against poison and parasites…
…Hey, wait a minute. Please, just wait.
Why doesn’t «Cleanse» include the effect of curing diseases!?
“…Hugh, can you tell me? Was my father really sick?”