I Just Wanted to Avoid Death - Chapter 52
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But it didn’t matter. In fact, perhaps this direction was a more certain way to help Yeshion and close the distance between them.
“Yeshion.”
“Ugh…”
“It doesn’t seem like you’re in any condition to be given options. You don’t seem to understand me at all.”
With that, Eldis gently pulled the blanket off Yeshion. His cheeks were flushed with a deep red, likely from the fever that had risen even more in the meantime.
Eldis stared at his face for a moment, then pulled the blanket away entirely.
“It’s cold… so cold.”
“If you keep this up, it’ll only get colder. The residual effects of the Gebi poison lower your body temperature, and later, you might even start hallucinating… but you’re not even listening.”
Yeshion kept murmuring about the cold, reaching blindly for the blanket. When he couldn’t find anything to cover himself with, his hand stretched out and grasped Eldis’s arm.
“…Warm.”
Watching Yeshion’s actions, Eldis let out a small laugh and reached out with his other arm.
“Fine, come here instead. I’ll make you better.”
Moving sluggishly, Yeshion extended both arms and wrapped them around Eldis’s neck. It was an instinctive reaction to the warmth Eldis’s body provided.
However, Eldis didn’t hesitate and lifted Yeshion up in one swift motion. As they stepped out of the room, the surrounding priests looked on in shock.
“A-Archpriest? Why is Priest Yeshion…”
“Yeshion’s condition is quite bad. I need to treat him, so please make sure no one comes near my chambers or office for today.”
The priests nodded slightly at Eldis’s command, but soon after, they noticed Yeshion shivering.
One of them hurriedly brought a blanket, and Eldis took it, draping it over Yeshion’s back as he held him closer.
“It looks like you don’t dislike Priest Yeshion anymore,” one priest remarked.
“Huh? Oh, well… Priest Yeshion once took care of me when I was unwell. I’ll be praying for his swift recovery.”
Eldis scanned the faces of the priests. Some still seemed indifferent, while others wore expressions of mild amusement.
Yet, there was something new—a few now appeared genuinely concerned for Yeshion.
“May the gods hear your prayers.”
Eldis muttered as he carried Yeshion back to his own room. In the short time it took to reach his chambers, Yeshion’s body had grown even warmer.
“Archpriest…”
Yeshion murmured, his voice hazy as he half-opened his eyes.
After laying Yeshion on the bed, Eldis began flipping through books, responding with a casual “Yes.” He needed to decide whether to treat Yeshion using his own divine power or the prepared divine energy he had stored earlier.
“Why did you bring me here…”
“To treat you.”
“Treatment… treatment…”
Yeshion was in no state to form coherent thoughts, much less hold a proper conversation.
From the way his words slurred, it was clear he wouldn’t remember any of this come morning—just like when Eldis had treated him in the imperial palace, and he had forgotten everything afterward.
“Eldis…”
Eldis’s eyes widened in surprise. This was the first time Yeshion had addressed him by name instead of “Archpriest.”
But the words that followed caused Eldis’s face to harden.
“…You didn’t bring me here to kill me, did you?”
“…..”
“If you kill me… I don’t want that… I’ve been through so much…”
Yeshion mumbled, his voice filled with sadness. He turned his head and buried his face in the pillow, as if the weight of his words was too much to bear.
“Every time I tried to say something… you’d tell me to stop talking nonsense, glare at me, grab me by the collar…”
A sniffle.
Hearing that sound from a distance, Eldis’s eyes widened.
Could it be… Was Yeshion crying?
“No matter how much I begged, no matter how much I cursed… you still killed me. And the worst part… the worst was when you said it was disgusting to see me cry…”
Yeshion’s muttering continued, and Eldis found it difficult to respond. Every word Yeshion uttered mirrored the actions Eldis had taken in Yeshion’s dreams.
‘It was just a dream.’
But it had been vivid for Eldis, too. That meant it must have been just as vivid for Yeshion.
A part of him felt wronged. It wasn’t fair to be hated for actions he had only taken in a dream.
Eldis approached Yeshion, who was still sniffling, and gently embraced him. As he patted Yeshion’s back, he asked softly:
“Were you that hurt?”
Yeshion buried his face in Eldis’s shoulder and, with a slow nod, whispered:
“…Yes.”
A tearful voice.
Without realizing it, Eldis found himself thinking:
He’s kind of… cute.
