I Was Deemed a Worthless Saint Without a Level-Up Blessing and Was Sent Off to Marry a Neighboring Country, but It Turns Out My Blessing Was Actually Level Cap Removal - Episode 22

“Um, well…”

Not knowing how to respond, but not wanting to worry Alvent, Ferulina desperately searches for words.

“Please, please don’t misunderstand! It’s not that I’m dissatisfied with the treatment! I’m only grateful for the things you’ve done for me, they’re almost too much! But, um…”

Lowering her gaze, Ferulina hesitantly voiced the anxiety swirling within her heart.

“I’ve always been called a saint without blessings, and in fact, in the Kingdom of Klein, no blessings have ever been activated… So, even if suddenly I’m told that I actually have a special blessing, before I can feel happy, I just feel like I can’t believe it…”

What if Robes’ guess is wrong and it’s just a malfunction of the status board?

If I ended up giving Alvent and the others false hope…

If I betray the expectations of the Alvent who treat Ferulina and others kindly, will I be despised again like when I was in the Klein Kingdom?

Now that I’ve experienced kindness once, I can’t help but feel anxious about whether my heart can endure such treatment again.

However, even if I express such anxieties, it would only trouble Alvent.

Hesitating and biting my lip, I was gently stroked on the head by a large, warm hand.

“When I faced the Red Fang Wolf… you cast a support spell on me, and in that moment, I felt a power rising from deep within me that I had never experienced before. I believe that must have been your protective power. I am convinced that you possess a special protective power.”

While stroking Ferulina’s head, Alvent’s voice, as if telling a young child, is gentle enough to dispel any anxiety.

“After showing you to your room, I also checked the status board, but there were no issues. So… there’s no doubt that you are a saint with a special blessing.”

A powerful voice pierces Ferulina’s heart to the core.

“……Really”

A word slips out of my mouth on its own.

“Could it really be that someone like me is a saint with special protection…?”

“Of course.”
Without missing a beat, Alvent answers immediately.

“You are undoubtedly a special saint. However…”

The hand that had been gently stroking her head slowly descended to cradle her cheek. As she looked up, guided by the large hand, she saw black eyes gazing down at her with a soft light.

“Even if you are not a special saint, even if you are a saint without any blessings, you will still be my precious wife.”

“!?!”

I gasp at the words that were delivered straight to me without any hesitation.

Even though the night air was eerily cold, in an instant, not just my face but my whole body became hot.

“Ah, but…”
Suddenly, Alvent’s voice lowers and becomes somber.

“I have something I need to properly tell you.”

“…What is it…?”

The dark voice of Alvent, heard for the first time. Overcome with anxiety, I looked up at his stern, handsome face, and after a moment of pressing his lips together, Alvent slowly opened his mouth.

“Why am I called the ‘Cursed Gray Bear of Gobules’…? Have you ever heard the reason?”

“N-no…”

I never expected to hear the title come out of Alvent’s own mouth, and Ferulina shook her head vigorously.

“……I am truly cursed, just like my title says.”

A low, low voice—so low it seems to blend into the night air—shakes Ferulina’s eardrums.

“This wound… It looks strange, doesn’t it?”

Alvent’s bony fingertips point to the blackish-purple scar running across the left cheek.

“It’s not just my face. Actually, there’s a large scar of the same color on my chest. This is――. A wound inflicted by a dragon three years ago.”

“!?!”

The sound of gasping in shock sharply disturbs the night air.

Even though it’s generally said that the limit of human levels is in the forties, why isn’t the upper limit set at a hundred levels?

That’s because there are monsters that far exceed the level humans can reach.

Moreover, of all things, a dragon. It’s a being akin to a calamity.

If they cross the border and invade, how many towns and villages will be devastated?

Ferulina had never seen a dragon. She thought they were just a part of fairy tales.

To confront such a dragon and survive.

Looking up in disbelief, Alvent shook his head with a troubled expression.

“The only reason I survived was sheer luck. The dragon that appeared near the border was still a juvenile… The entire knight order responded, and it was nothing short of a miracle that we managed to drive it away. During that battle, I was deeply wounded by the dragon’s claws and wandered the brink of life and death…”

He must be reminiscing about those days. Alvent’s gaze drifts far away.

“Even with healing magic, this black-purple scar didn’t disappear. The reason it can’t be completely healed is… According to the castle’s mage, it’s under a dragon’s curse.”

On the stern face, a faint, powerless smile appears.

“They say the details of the curse are unknown. Right now, there are no symptoms, but are we slowly being eroded and bound by it, or will our hearts suddenly stop one day, or will we eventually transform into monsters…?”

“!?!”

Imagining a terrifying future, Ferulina instinctively envelops Alvent’s left hand with both of hers.

The large fist was tightly clenched, as if to suppress the swirling emotions within.