The black-haired young man frowned ungratefully. “I know of a pathological tendency where someone forces others to rely on them—accepting their care and attention—in order to control them. It’s often seen in overbearing mothers toward their children. Just a kind reminder: if you’re sick, go get treated.”
Don’t take it out on me. Those gray eyes stared coldly at the other person, saying as much without a word.
“…At times, you are truly, extraordinarily skilled at infuriating people,” the Divine Chosen said softly.
He cupped that bony, frail ankle. The thin, swollen flesh burned against his palm, the blood vessels throbbing as if trembling involuntarily.
Sensing danger, the other man struggled uneasily—a faint whimper escaped his throat as cold sweat trickled down his lifted neck. The black-haired youth clenched the bedsheet beneath him, but the gloves on his hands made it hard to grip; he only managed to wrinkle a bit of fabric before it slipped through his fingers.
“Does it hurt a lot?”
The Divine Chosen tightened his grip on the instinctively twitching calf—not too hard, not too soft. While massaging the injured area gently to help the ointment absorb, he soothed in a calm and patient voice, “Please bear with it—it’ll be over soon.”
His nemesis ignored him, eyes tightly shut, face turned away. From his angle, the pale and tense neck, the bobbing Adam’s apple, and the bulging veins were all starkly visible. Apart from that one involuntary sound at the beginning, he stayed completely silent throughout the treatment, merely clenching his other hand so tightly that the soft fibers on his washed-out glove were pulled into a frayed mess—it clearly hurt more than a little.
The Divine Chosen continued his task unhurriedly. “It’s simple. I saved your life and offered you protection. What can you offer me in return?”
His voice remained as gentle and clear as ever, like warm water that lured one in without resistance… until the moment you struck the jagged, frozen reef beneath, and the prey would suddenly realize: they were already trapped in a sealed cage deep in the ocean.
“I greatly admire your intellect and capability. But I don’t appreciate your self-destructive tendencies… If you continue with this recklessness, I’ll be troubled, and may end up doing something rather impolite—just as you said, it compromises ‘efficiency of gain.’”
He bit down on that final word with a vengeful precision.
In a sense, the Savior was a downright bastard. If anyone truly believed in that flawless, gentle, and noble exterior, they’d end up devoured—bones and all.
After wrapping and securing the ankle with thick bandages, Azukar stood up, fetched some water, and carefully washed his fingers. When he turned back, his adversary was silently struggling to get out of bed. Azukar sighed helplessly, stepped forward to steady him by the shoulder, and leaned down to read the emotion in those gray eyes. “Professor, are you still mad at me?”
“…Thank you for your kindness,” the dark-haired youth said expressionlessly. “But please let go. I can stand on my own.”
“Oh, still angry.” The Divine Chosen nodded calmly, tightened his grip, and helped him up regardless of the resistance.
Someone else lifted the curtain and stepped inside.
“Divine Chosen?”
Ramina looked at the two standing inside with a slightly odd expression—why was the Divine Chosen’s hand on that annoying guy’s shoulder?
The one being addressed turned to look—his face, lit by sunlight, was dazzling to the point of disorientation. Even Ramina, long accustomed to his appearance, momentarily blanked out. The Natalins were all good-looking people, but the Divine Chosen had always been the most beautiful among them. As far as Ramina knew, kids used to secretly brawl—boys and girls alike—just to decide who got to play with the then-unnamed “little bird.”
“Here to see Baza?” Unaware of his accidental title as a walking disaster for hearts, the Divine Chosen nodded slightly to the redhead. “The new medicine is working. Nana Naka said he should wake up tonight.”
“By the Wind God, that’s wonderful!” Ramina immediately tossed aside her earlier unease. She rushed to the bedside, gazing at the faint color returning to the injured man’s face. Her lips trembled a little, and as she moved to tuck in the blanket, she realized she was still holding something.
The red-haired girl cleared her throat, then shoved a large bundle wrapped in leaves and hemp rope toward Nova. “Take it. Your share of the thunder python meat.”
She muttered awkwardly, “You’re still a jerk, but you’re smart. I shouldn’t have doubted you today. My attitude sucked. I’m sorry.”
Azukar suddenly felt his rival flinch ever so slightly, the muscles tensing in a reflexive response. If they hadn’t been standing so close, he wouldn’t have noticed this peculiar resistance at all.
It seemed the other was nervous about receiving apologies.
“…It’s only natural for people like you to question me. Besides, you contributed to the effort—without you, we wouldn’t have killed the thunder python. So don’t apologize.” The professor lifted his eyelids slightly, refusing the meat with an icy tone. Something subtly pointed in his words made Ramina roll her eyes in discomfort.
“What do you mean, ‘people like us’? For the Wind God’s sake, can’t you speak like a normal person?”
“I don’t understand. I meant that you don’t need to apologize. Given your level of experience and intellect, it’s understandable that you didn’t think of what I did. If you interpreted something else, that’s your…”
“I’ll take it—your foot’s injured.” Azukar cut in to defuse the tense exchange. Calmly, and under the odd looks from his fellow clansmen, he accepted the still-dripping python meat and weighed it briefly. “That’s a generous amount. It should be processed quickly—pickled and grilled, or made into soup, both are good options.”
“Ah? Oh, right. If you can’t finish it, drying it works too.” Ramina opened her mouth, then stepped down graciously, thinking: Wait, didn’t the Divine Chosen say he didn’t like the faint fishiness of thunder python meat?
Then she watched the Divine Chosen turn slightly and speak gently to the man beside him: “Sorry, I have other matters to attend to—does your foot still hurt? Should I send someone to escort you back to rest?”
“No need. I’m much better. Someone will come for me.” The other responded stiffly, tilting his chin toward a boy rushing over—looked like the one called Balu.
Azukar glanced at the boy without changing expression. The kid instantly blushed like a fool, froze on the spot, and fumbled over his words without getting a single sentence out.
He simply smiled, gave a few instructions in the common tongue, and handed over the ointment and python meat, watching as the boy awkwardly helped his nemesis limp away, nearly tripping over every step.
“Professor,” he suddenly switched to the Natalin tongue, raising his voice toward their retreating backs, “I accept the terms you proposed earlier. But I hope you’ll hold up your end of the bargain too.”
He was referring to the earlier, slightly presumptuous “deal” the other had proposed: as long as he applied the medicine on time, the Divine Chosen would ensure the safe departure of the four of them from Asachi Valley. Now that the matter of their departure was settled, if the other failed to uphold his duty, Azukar would make sure it was enforced—by any means necessary.
His nemesis didn’t so much as pause in his stride or look back—but that figure practically radiated bristling annoyance.
Having successfully bullied his still-green rival just a little, the Divine Chosen modestly averted his gaze—only to meet the subtle looks of his clanspeople.
“Hmm? What is it?”
“It’s rare to see you so… happy?” Ramina chose her words carefully.
“Happy” didn’t quite cover it—more like, well, smug. Deeply satisfied?
Whatever it was, it looked kind of childish.
He smiled at her. “Don’t you think teasing him is kind of fun?”
Ramina: “……”
Absolutely not. Just not being driven insane by that guy was enough of a blessing.
Call it feminine intuition, but something didn’t sit right with her. Though he said it was just teasing, the Divine Chosen’s attitude wasn’t like someone casually toying with a kitten or a puppy—it felt too serious. Too… invested.
On the surface, the Divine Chosen seemed gentle, always wearing that mild, affable smile and speaking kindly. But over time, those around him had come to sense the calm detachment beneath the surface, and how truly distant he was.
Even those of them who had grown up with him—like Ramina—couldn’t figure it out. That once sweet-tempered, slightly spoiled but kind and cheerful boy, so full of smiles… How had he changed so drastically overnight?
O Storm God Utoska… was this also your will?
…
“What in the seas happened to you after just one trip outside?!” Captain Scarbough was aghast as he stared at the professor’s ankle, thickly wrapped in bandages. “Balu said some wild brat asked him to come over, and that fool ran off on his own without telling me—was it those savages who did this to you?”
“No, it was my own carelessness.”
Nova was getting a headache from the scolding. He pinched his brow and allowed himself to be helped into a chair. The old ship medic carefully unwrapped the bandages layer by layer, then let out a grumble upon discovering it was just a simple sprain, remarking that he’d half expected a fracture or a puncture wound.
“I can’t identify everything they used, but it was good medicine. The swelling’s already gone down,” the medic concluded.
“Professor, that golden-haired man earlier—he’s the Windstrider’s dragonrider, isn’t he?” the apprentice Balu asked with starry eyes. “Do you know him well? What kind of person is he?”
Truthfully, what he really wanted to ask was whether the guy had a sister. An older one would do too.
But surprisingly, the professor didn’t immediately answer yes or no. Nor did he shoot that usual cold, stern glare that said: “It’s none of your business.”
He thought for a moment and, unusually, answered with a hint of hesitation: “It’s hard to say. He’s an honest yet dangerous man, full of secrets—but for now, he holds no hostility toward us.”
That man was seeking something, which meant—for the time being—he was safe. Those cold, calculated exchanges of interest brought Nova a strange sense of calm. He could even tolerate the Divine Chosen’s peculiar bad habits for a little while.
—That guy probably got used to winning people over with those tactics, only to crash and burn when he tried them on Nova.
The professor added slowly and bluntly, “But you’d better stay away from him. He’s got issues.”
T/N:
10 chapters for the new novel！ please enjoy. I have to say that this is a long and slow-revealing kind of story and plot. But I really really like it!!!! and when I translate it, I just find so many tiny details that I missed before. ^v^
The update frequency can’t be granted any promises, maybe like, few chapters a week, i’ll try my best to update daily. try.
Thanks for the translation