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 40

“Robes. Being passive isn’t like you.”

Alvent opens his mouth as if to soothe.

“Indeed, dragons are formidable foes. I don’t want to fight them either. But the situation is different from three years ago. All the members of our group have leveled up, and above all, we have the saint Ferulina, who possesses a special blessing, with us. I have no intention of repeating the mistakes of the past. If a dragon appears, this time, I will definitely defeat it!”

The black eyes of Alvent, who spoke in a powerful voice, were directed at Ferulina.

Dragons are beings I’ve only ever seen in books.

If asked whether I’m not scared, I can’t help but be scared.

However, with the sole intention of responding to Alvent’s trust, Ferulina met his gaze and nodded firmly.

It was Robes who raised a sharp voice, admonishing Alvent, who had slightly relaxed his expression.

“Indeed, having Lady Ferulina join us is nothing short of a stroke of luck! With Lady Ferulina’s special blessing, we will surely become even stronger! However…! To confront the dragon now would be nothing short of reckless! Even with Lady Ferulina’s blessing, only a handful have managed to break through the level cap. But if we continue to carry out subjugations, many will be able to level up further! Should we not give up on the mine in the town of Tanzes this time and aim to subjugate the dragon on the next opportunity!?”

What Robes says is understandable to Ferulina as well.

Even though there is a blessing that lifts the level-up cap, it seems that the experience points that had previously reached the level cap and disappeared cannot be recovered.

The blessing that unlocks the level cap only activates when Ferulina casts a holy spell.

This is the first time Ferulina has officially joined the expedition. Although a few knights surpassed their level limits during the battles on the journey to the Gobules Kingdom, they are only a handful.

As Robes said, if we want to defeat the dragon more surely and safely, we should take more time to level up all the knights before challenging it.

However.

“Um, um…!”

I tightly clench the hands resting on my knees. The warm and easy-to-move expedition robe creases, but I can’t be bothered to care.

My heart is pounding, and it feels like it’s about to jump out of my mouth.

However, realizing that now is the only time to ask, Ferulina desperately opens her mouth.

“Um, Lord Alvent, um…! Huh, could you please take off your clothes…!?”

“Fe, Ferulina!? Wh-what are you doing…!? N-no, I mean, it’s not that I don’t want it…! B-but, um, it would be better if we waited until after sunset…!”

“Lady Ferulina!? Have you come down with a fever!? Captain, please hold it together! Both of you, you remember the Queen’s words, don’t you!? Even if we are on an expedition where the Queen’s eyes can’t reach, as long as I am watching over you, never…!”

“W-What are you two doing…!? A-Um, no, it’s not like that! It’s a misunderstanding!”

Realizing that she hadn’t said enough due to her nervousness, Ferulina vigorously shook her head to cool the heat that had risen to her face in an instant.

“Uh, I asked you to take off your clothes because… um… I wanted to check the wounds inflicted by the dragon…! I-I have no other intentions, I swear!”

When I desperately pleaded, Alvent’s shoulders drooped awkwardly as he said, “I-I see…”

The way he looks so terribly disappointed makes me anxious, wondering if I did something wrong.

“Well, I probably won’t be able to heal it… But if I know the condition of the wound, there might be something more I can understand as I read through the ancient documents…”

“Does the ancient document even mention such things?”

“Th-that…”

To Robes, who voiced a simple question, Ferulina, unsure of how to respond, averted her gaze and spoke ambiguously.

What reached his ears was the low, hard voice of Alvent.

“Ferulina. I can’t help but feel grateful for your concern for me. However, I don’t think you’ll gain any useful information by looking at my wounds. So, there’s no need for you to go out of your way to see something unpleasant.”

“Alvent, sir…?”

I can’t hide my confusion at Alvent’s harsh voice, which I’ve never heard before.

Why won’t those black eyes look at Ferulina?

All this time, Alvent had always met Ferulina’s gaze directly.

The moment I understood that I had been rejected by Alvent, my chest hurt so much, as if a blade had been plunged into my heart, that I was surprised even myself.

“Sorry… I’m so sorry…”

As I looked down and tried to weave an apology, a droplet fell onto the back of my clenched hand with a soft pat.

“Ah…”

Without knowing what had fallen, as soon as I let out a hoarse voice, a loud crash echoed as the chair toppled over.