It had been a while, but I still didn't know what to say.
I was afraid that if I acted carelessly, it might make the girl even more frightened, even though I still didn't know what she was scared of.
Suddenly, Erin poked her head out from under the blanket and looked at me.
I was so surprised that I could only pretend not to notice, but Erin kept staring at me.
What now...
At times like this, I really missed Meradis. She would speak for me and say everything necessary without me needing to open my mouth.
"Thank you."
Erin's soft voice rang out, so weak it sounded like she wasn't even sure if she should speak.
I was slightly surprised, but just stayed silent and looked at her.
Erin was still wrapped in the blanket, with only her head sticking out. Her violet eyes sparkled under the dim oil lamp in the room.
Looking at her now, I couldn't believe this was someone who had once been the host of such a terrifying parasitic insect.
What kind of grudge did that guy have against her?!
Thinking about how Erin would've died if I hadn't saved her, I couldn't help but feel furious at the one who did this.
I momentarily lost control of my emotions and let out some killing intent, which scared Erin.
Oh no, I scared her again...
Surprisingly, Erin was only startled at first but then continued to look at me.
Was she waiting for something...?
Oh, right.
I hadn't responded to her thanks yet. So I slowly nodded in response.
Seeing that I wasn't reacting much, Erin spoke again: "You... saved me, right?"
I nodded again.
"What happened? I only remember being in a lot of pain… and then… nothing after that..."
I remained silent, but this time I raised a finger and pointed at myself. I meant "I helped you," but I wasn't sure if she understood.
Erin tilted her head in confusion. "Did you cast a spell?"
I shook my head.
"Then... did you use medicine? Or do you have some kind of special healing skill?"
I shook my head again.
Erin frowned more and more, clearly dissatisfied with my answers. "Then what exactly happened?"
I felt a bit awkward.
This was why I didn't like conversations. I was never good at explaining things. Or maybe I should've just nodded from the beginning and let it go.
I really was dumb.
After a while, Erin let out a soft sigh, like she had accepted that she wouldn't get a clear answer from me.
But right after, she asked again: "You can't talk, can you?"
I froze.
I could talk—I just chose not to. But explaining that would be troublesome, so I just nodded.
Erin looked a little surprised. She stayed silent for a bit, then asked: "Then... can you write?"
I looked around.
No pen or paper. But even if there were, I probably wouldn't write anything anyway. Not wanting to drag the conversation on, I shook my head.
Erin looked a bit disappointed, but quickly perked up again.
"Actually... I still feel something weird with my body."
I immediately shifted from idle to serious.
"Weird how?" I didn't say it aloud, but tilted my head to show I was asking.
"Not just normal tiredness…" Erin looked down at her hand and lightly clenched it.
"...It's like something inside me has changed."
Changed body?
I felt uneasy.
Even though Erin had escaped danger thanks to the removal of that parasitic insect, a change in her body was still concerning.
Thankfully, I had decided to check on her again.
I used [Appraisal] on Erin.
And the moment I saw the result—
I froze.
…What the hell is this?
I didn't react outwardly, but I was stunned inside by the result I saw.
<
HP: 100/100
MP: 1000/1000
SP: 100/100
Attack: 5
Defense: 5
Magic: 100
Speed: 5
Race: Holy Spirit
Skill:
[Holy Mana Lv1], [Holy Magic Lv1], [Magic Talent Lv1], [Mana Manipulation Lv1], [Mana Sensing Lv1], [Mana Vein Lv1], [Invincible Shield Lv1], [Benediction Chant Lv1], [Angel Wings Lv1], [Saint Slash Lv1]
[Status: Eucharist – Partially Awakened]
Title: [Saint Lord]
Eucharist? Race: Holy Spirit??
Look at those stats and skills?!!!
What the hell is this???
I'd never heard of anything like this before—and since when could [Appraisal] show all this info?
I focused on the "Eucharist" status to see if there was more detail, but the system only gave a simple line:
<
I frowned.
This... wasn't normal at all.
No way… this child… is she heaven's chosen or something??
With all this, if developed properly, she could become the strongest one out there.
Erin's body definitely changed, but I still didn't know exactly how.
All I knew was she was no longer just a normal human.
No one must find out about this! Otherwise, Erin would definitely become a target for pursuit—but I still didn't know how to prevent that.
As long as I didn't let anyone appraise her, it should be fine. Was this related to that parasitic bug? Or something else entirely?
I figured the brush with death probably triggered a partial awakening of her Eucharist state, but if that's the only way to awaken it, she wouldn't last long.
I looked at Erin again.
She was waiting for my response, but obviously, I couldn't say anything.
I silently reached out and gently placed my hand on her forehead.
I was surprised to find her skin soft, and that I could touch her without triggering any kind of rejection—just like with Meradis.
"You…?" Erin flinched a little.
I only wanted to check if she had any fever, but she was fine. Still, there was something unusual about the feeling when I touched her. I couldn't really describe it, but it was like a faint energy wrapped around her body.
I pulled my hand back and examined her with a more cautious gaze.
"You know something, don't you?" Erin immediately asked.
I didn't respond.
"Can you tell me?"
I stayed silent.
"You…" Erin gently clenched her fists. "If something's wrong, I want to know. It's my body."
I didn't deny that, but I wasn't sure if I should tell her. Even if I did, she wouldn't understand everything and it would only add to her burden. She might panic upon learning she was no longer human. But if I didn't tell her, would I be denying her the chance to control her own power?
She needed a guide.
That was my conclusion—but where could I even find someone like that?
Anything related to Holy power in this world was already rare.
"You have great potential. I can teach you how to use it."
For the first time, I spoke out loud. I had hesitated for a long time before deciding to say it, but I couldn't just pretend I didn't know.
Erin was completely shocked to hear me speak.
"Really? I can become strong too?" Her voice was filled with excitement and a desire she couldn't hide.
I nodded.
"I accept—please teach me!" Erin jumped out of the blanket, stood before me, and bowed.
I reached out and helped her up.
"You…"
I tilted my head in question.
"Can I hug you?"
Ack!
That was unexpected.
Why would she want to hug me?
But I could touch her normally, so it should be fine… and it was her idea. I opened my arms to signal her to come.
Erin beamed with joy and jumped into my arms, her small hands trying to wrap around me but couldn't quite make it.
I stiffened a bit, then returned the hug.
Ah, she's so soft!
Hugging Erin like this reminded me of my little sister. She was also a mischievous girl who often asked for hugs.
This feels nice.
I gave a satisfied smile.
"One question, sis…" Erin suddenly said.
Ask anything, little one. I'll answer it all.
"Why do you always keep your eyes closed?"
Ah, that...
Erin seemed to notice I didn't know how to respond, so she quickly changed the question: "Can you open them?"
I nodded.
The reason I always kept them closed was because I didn't want to make eye contact with others. Also, even in this human form, my eyes were still spider eyes—eight pupils inside.
That would probably scare a normal person.
"Can I see them?" Erin asked.
…
I nodded.
I took a deep breath and slowly opened my eyes.
The eight pupils inside squirmed from tension, creating a scene that was eerie and terrifying. But contrary to what I expected, Erin just stared at them.
She wasn't scared?
"Your eyes are beautiful."
Huh?
What kind of logic makes her think this is beautiful…?
Whatever, a compliment is still a compliment.
I smiled and nodded.
At that moment, Meradis and Rian returned from training, and the sight of Erin sitting on me had been completely seen.
I didn't know what they were thinking, but I didn't want to look anymore!
I quickly shut my eyes and signaled Erin that someone was behind her. Erin immediately ran over to Rian and started chatting like a child.
I, on the other hand, unconsciously looked over at Meradis.
She looked back.
When our eyes met, I quickly lowered my head to avoid her gaze. I don't know why, but I felt like I'd just been caught doing something bad…