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“Here she is.”

The voice that drew nearer was Axel’s. It seemed he had brought someone to me, but since that person remained silent, I couldn’t guess who it was. 

And then, it happened.

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, a clear and refreshing energy swept over me. The intense heat that had been twisting and churning inside my body was subdued by this new force. I instinctively realized that this energy was going to wake me up.

The cool energy gradually began to calm the heat within me. The wild, boiling force that had been rampaging inside me like molten lava started to settle, becoming as tranquil as a calm lake. My body, which had felt impossibly heavy, now felt light, as if I had just shed a suit of armor made of iron.

I felt certain that I could open my eyes at any moment now.

Without hesitation, I followed the impulse and opened my eyes wide.

“Ugh!”

Bright light flooded into my eyes all at once. As I blinked, the white haze gradually cleared, and I began to see what was in front of me. Someone was standing next to me, looking down at me.

The blurry figure slowly came into focus. The first thing I saw was light brown hair, almost blonde, followed by gentle, slightly drooping violet eyes…

‘Wait, what?’

Startled, I bolted upright. The sudden movement made me dizzy, and I swayed, but the person beside me quickly reached out and held me steady. With the distance between us now shortened, I could clearly see the person’s face.

In disbelief, I whispered a familiar name.

“…Bael?”

“Yes.”

The polite response confirmed it was indeed Bael. The very same Bael, the clumsy priest who had been a member of my and Axel’s expedition team!

“Weren’t you supposed to be in the hundred-day prayer?”

I recalled what Axel had told me and asked in confusion. Bael was supposed to have more time left to complete his hundred-day prayer.

“I was,” Bael replied with a gentle smile, gesturing to Axel, who stood nearby with a grim expression. “But given the circumstances, I had to come out.”

“Axel barged into the prayer room in Kydsha. He dragged me out here in the middle of my hundred-day prayer.”

Axel remained silent, biting his lip as he stared at me for a long moment before abruptly turning and leaving the room. Puzzled by his behavior, I tilted my head, and Bael smiled knowingly, as if he understood everything.

“He’s just relieved. It was the same when we went to hunt the Mad Dragon a long time ago. Axel would always react like that when an injured comrade woke up.”

“Did he?”

“He did.”

Bael and I continued to talk naturally. As my mind gradually cleared, I realized something was off. After all, I was currently Reshia Elpinard. Yet Bael was treating me as if I were Greslin.

“Do you know that I’m Greslin?”

“Yes, of course.”

When I asked with wide eyes, Bael smiled gently and patted my head. His action was so natural that I didn’t even think to be offended at being treated like a child; instead, I tilted my head in confusion.

“How? Did Axel tell you?”

“At first, he didn’t say anything. I think he thought it would be better for you to tell me about your reincarnation yourself… But honestly, it was just too strange.”

“What was strange?”

“Axel isn’t the kind of person who would do something so reckless over a saintess who isn’t closely related to him. I had to press him for answers.”

“I see.”

This conversation was only possible because they knew each other so well.

“But what do you mean by reckless?”

“Well…”

Bael glanced outside with a troubled expression before finally letting out a sigh and beginning his explanation.

“How long does it take to travel from the Elpinard estate to the temple in Kydsha by carriage?”

‘Why is he asking a math problem all of a sudden?’ I tilted my head in confusion but answered obediently.

“No matter how fast you go, it should take at least five days, right?”

“That’s correct. But it’s only been a week since you collapsed after coughing up blood.”

“Wait, what?”

Five days for Axel to get to Kydsha. Five days to return with Bael. That should be at least a ten-day journey, yet I had only been bedridden for a week. The dates didn’t add up no matter how I calculated it.

“What trick did he use? How did he cover a ten-day journey in just a week? It’s not like he used magic or anything.”

I laughed in amazement, but then a possibility suddenly flashed in my mind.

‘If what I’m thinking is correct…’

That would be an absolutely insane thing to do. My face scrunched up as I hesitantly asked, “Did Axel use magic to get to Kydsha? Like, teleportation magic?”

Bael said nothing, but his subtle smile confirmed my suspicion.

Heat rushed to my head in an instant.

“He’s lost his mind!”

Teleportation was an extremely dangerous magic.

Teleportation magic is an unstable spell that could easily tear one’s body apart. Even curious and boastful mages rarely dared to attempt it. Who would willingly gamble their life on such a risky spell? But Axel had done that reckless thing. He wasn’t ignorant of the dangers of teleportation magic; he knew better, so why would he do something so foolish?

I hopped off the bed, intent on finding Axel and giving him a piece of my mind, perhaps even smacking him on the back for his madness. But my body didn’t cooperate with my intentions. As dizziness overtook me, my vision momentarily went dark.

“Careful now.”

Bael swiftly caught me as I stumbled, lifting me effortlessly. 

“You shouldn’t push yourself yet, Reshi.”

His deep violet eyes, full of warmth as he looked at me up close, soothed the fiery anger that had been rising within me.

“You were overwhelmed with divine power, far more than your small body could handle. The intense energy was trapped in a confined space, causing it to run wild.”

Bael explained the situation while looking directly into my eyes.

“So I condensed the excess divine power into an orb, leaving only as much as your body could safely manage.”

“An orb?”

“Yes.”

Bael gestured with his eyes toward the bedside table. There, a small orb the size of a newborn’s fist sat, filled with a serene blue light that gently pulsed with energy. The sight of it brought a sense of warmth and calm over me.

“Once your body recovers, you can gradually reabsorb the energy. That way, there won’t be any serious problems like before. It’s all about slowly expanding your capacity.”

“I see.”

I nodded at Bael’s kind explanation. It was a case of having too small a container for too much content. I was just lucky that the container—my body—hadn’t burst open.

‘But considering that the container was my body…’

If the situation hadn’t been resolved, the consequences would have been too horrible to imagine. I let out a deep sigh and asked Bael, “If you hadn’t helped, it wouldn’t have been this easily resolved, would it?”

Bael seemed to understand why I asked that, and he smiled gently.

“It would be hard to find another priest in Kydsha who can handle divine power as well as I can.”

He was being modest, but the meaning was clear. If Axel hadn’t gone to such lengths to bring Bael, my body might not have survived. It could have melted, exploded, or torn apart under the strain of the uncontrolled divine power.

“So, don’t be too angry with Axel, Reshi. No matter what anyone says, Axel likes you the most out of all of us.”

“Uh?”

I could agree with the first part of what he said, but the last part left me doubtful. My disbelief must have shown clearly on my face because Bael chuckled as he looked at me.

“Well… It’s normal to lose perspective when it comes to your own feelings.”