ALL NOVEL chapter 23
Chapter 23, The Aftermath of the Incident
“So it was just a dream?”
Mu En leaned against the headboard, staring at the ceiling adorned with a golden chandelier, a wave of immense relief washing over him.
He never expected that he was still alive.
Stabbed in the vital spot by that dagger burning with the flames of an evil god, and yet he was still alive.
Had heaven finally shown him mercy at such a time?
“According to the master, the suit you were wearing at the time was actually a decent defensive magical artifact; it absorbed most of the damage at a critical moment, allowing you to escape the ordeal.”
“I see.”
I’m sorry, dear gown, it was I who spoke too loudly before; weighing twenty kilograms is not your flaw at all, but rather that reassuring sense of heaviness you possess!
If I have the chance in the future, I must restore you and wear you again, not for any other reason, but to repay your life-saving grace!
“Then what about my current injuries…”
Mu En looked at his hands. To be honest, despite having sustained such serious injuries, he felt no pain at all at this moment; he could only vaguely sense a feeling of emptiness in his body.
“It was Princess Celicia.”
An said, “She summoned the chief healer of the Royal Mage Corps to personally cast healing magic for you, so your injuries were healed from the start; it was just that your body was too weak, which is why you have been asleep for so long.”
“Long?”
“You have slept for a full three days.”
“Three… days.”
Mu En exhaled lightly: “That really is quite a long time.”
“By the way.”
As soon as Celicia was mentioned, Mu En immediately became tense and couldn’t help but cautiously ask:
“Did Celicia say anything about me?”
“About you, young master…”
An tilted her head, puzzled, and asked, “What do you mean?”
“Um… just whether she said anything bad about me.”
“Then I wouldn’t know, but I don’t think she did.”
An thought carefully, “When the princess left, she chatted with the master for a while and seemed to be quite happy.”
“I see.”
Mu En couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Unexpectedly, Celicia ended up not revealing the kind of beastly act that had been done.
Was it for her own reputation, or because… he had saved her?
“Young Master Mu En.”
“Mm?”
“Although this question is a bit overstepping, I still want to ask.”
An suddenly crouched down, and a faint floral scent lingered at the tip of Mu En’s nose. For some reason, Mu En felt that An’s voice was somewhat cold at this moment.
“Are you so nervous about this matter because you did something to the princess when you were alone with her in the room?”
“…No, of course not.”
Mu En shook his head vigorously, maintaining a serious expression as he said, “That is the princess! If I did anything to her, I would lose my head!”
“Is that so? I see.”
An seemed to believe Mu En’s words and did not continue to question him, instead lifting the medicine bowl in his hand once more.
“Come, drink the medicine; it’s already cooled down.”
“Can I not drink it?”
Looking at the dark, murky soup in the bowl, Mu En’s previously tense expression immediately crumbled:
“I’m afraid it’s bitter.”
“That’s not acceptable, young master. The first thing you need to do now is to take care of your health.”
“But my injury is already healed, isn’t it?”
“Strictly speaking, this isn’t medicine; it’s a supplement. It just resembles medicine. Besides, knowing that Young Master Mu En is afraid of bitterness, I’ve already added sugar to it.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Well then…”
Mu En trembled as he reached out his hand: “Give me the medicine.”
An: “…”
Mu En: “?”
“Young Master Mu En, feeding you medicine is part of my duties as your personal maid.”
“But I’m perfectly capable…”
“Young Master Mu En, are you trying to take away the means of survival from this poor maid? Of course, if you dislike me, I can resign from my position right now.”
An wiped away nonexistent tears at the corner of her eyes: “I’m just a weak maid who knows nothing but how to take care of the young master. Soon, I will lose my place to stay and be left to wander alone outside. If I encounter bad people, I can only…”
“Okay, okay, fine, just feed me; please stop talking.”
Mu En helplessly gave up his struggle.
After all, isn’t this the treatment befitting the son of a duke?
Being fed by a beautiful girl is the ultimate dream of countless otaku!
“Come, young master, open your mouth, ah—”
“Why does it feel like feeding a child, ah—
Ugh, so bitter! Didn’t you say you added sugar?”
“Oh dear, maybe I remembered wrong. Come on, young master, continue, ah—”
“Can you really forget something like this? You’re definitely treating me like a child, ah—”
“Young master, you can do it; just two more sips and you’ll be done, ah—”
“I’ve said it already; I’m not a child! Ah—”
……
……
“Speaking of which, has there been any negative impact after that incident?”
Mu En suddenly asked.
After all, it was a major event involving the assassination of a princess of the empire. During the three days he had been asleep, it was unlikely that there would be no repercussions at all.
As his personal maid, An would certainly have looked into these matters.
“There has indeed been some impact.”
While tidying up the medicine bowl, An replied:
“First, regarding the identity of the assassin. After a personal interrogation by the master, it appears that those who disguised themselves as maids were not professional assassins or killers, but rather members of a bounty hunter organization that has long operated underground in Berland, worshipping an evil god known as the Withered King.
It is said that as long as there is money, they will do anything.”
“The Withered King… bounty hunters…”
Mu En murmured softly. In his memory, it seemed that the original book did not mention an evil god known as the Withered King, let alone a bounty hunter organization that worshipped Him.
“Indeed, the limitations of the novel are too great.”
Mu En sighed inwardly.
Novels are narrated from the perspective of the protagonist, and it is impossible to fully describe an entire worldview or clearly present every development in the world.
In other words, once the plot deviates from the original book’s content or strays from the protagonist’s line, it becomes completely unpredictable.
“Young Master Mu En need not worry; that organization was actually wiped out last night by the master himself,” An added.
“…I see.”
Mu En paused for a moment, then couldn’t help but smile with relief.
Although the plot had not developed according to the original book, it was precisely because of this that he remained the noble son of a duke.
He didn’t need to worry about the direction of this matter, as there would naturally be people to handle it for him.
“What about the mastermind behind the bounty hunter organization?”
“This cannot be investigated for now.”
An shook her head: “All members of the hunter organization have been cursed; if they are asked about this issue, they will spontaneously combust and die.”
“Indeed… is that so?”
To dare to assassinate a princess so brazenly, they naturally could not leave any traces behind.
But even the beggars on the street knew that the only ones with a motive to assassinate Celicia were just a few factions.
“It is said that His Majesty the Emperor was furious about this matter and personally ordered the extermination of the rats in Berland’s underground.”
“That’s really…”
Mu En couldn’t help but shake his head with a bitter smile upon hearing this, inwardly thinking:
“It seems that for the time being, the underground black market is off-limits.”