When she found Daisy covered in blood, Lenya thought something had gone wrong.
—Eh, eh.
She finally snapped out of her state after shaking her feet back and going upstairs with a determined step. She hurried to tidy up Daisy's bedroom so Daisy could lie down. However, instead, Rue took Daisy to his own bedroom. Lenya quickly followed Rue and examined Daisy's wounds on the bed.
—This is not good.
It's not just that it wasn't good, it really wasn't good. Her chest was dyed red as if she had vomited blood. Daisy's shoulders were tightly bound with a cloth, but the bleeding hadn't stopped properly and was seeping through the bedding. Her complexion was alarmingly pale, her breathing was irregular and her body temperature was very low.
—How did she get these wounds? Is it because of the sword master's knights?
Rue seemed busy tearing the bedding in front of him to make makeshift bandages. It was surprising that Calepa was expert in such minute matters, but there was a more urgent matter at hand.
—Ca-Caelpa!
Lenya, who had brought clean water, plucked up her courage and spoke.
—C-Calepa, how did Daisy get hurt?
There was no answer from Rue. It was as if he had completely forgotten Lenya's existence. He seemed focused solely on healing Daisy's wounds. Rue's expression was rigid and Lenya couldn't help but feel a bit scared by it. However, Leyna didn't give up and asked again.
—Forgive my rudeness, but Daisy went out at my request... and I could help better if I knew the cause...
After a while, Rue replied with a smile that was strangely unfamiliar but common enough to make the viewer feel strange.
—She was stabbed in both shoulders with a sharp sword.
Lenya was so stunned she almost stumbled. The esteemed Calepa spoke to her with such respect. Her mind, soaked in deep embarrassment, returned to reality when Rue menacingly pulled away the blood-soaked cloth.
—A sword? That can't be possible…
She had prepared clean bandages to clean and stop the bleeding, but the blood didn't stop.
—What is this? There are signs that she was treated and then the wound opened again. What could have happened?
Regardless of how it happened, a blood transfusion now seemed urgent.
—Miss Lenya.
—Y-yes? Y-yes? Did you call me, Calepa?
—Needle and thread.
Needle and thread? For a moment, Lenya blinked in confusion. Then, quickly, she pulled out of her room her sewing box and antiseptic. Rue skillfully sterilized the needle. It also seemed that he had applied some kind of magic to the thread: considering the situation, it was probably healing magic. While he sutured both of Daisy's shoulders, Lenya cleaned the hardened blood, dust, dirt and cold sweat from Daisy's entire body.
After Rue finished sewing, he brought a toolbox from the warehouse. Sitting by the bed, she opened the magic toolbox and Rue slowly looked at Lenya with an expressionless face. For some reason, Lenya's spine shuddered and her lips moved involuntarily.
—T-This is a blood transfusion diagnostic tool. It can diagnose the patient's blood type and magic affinity.
Blood transfusion was only possible between people with the same blood type and magic affinity. While she withdrew the needle and examined Daisy's blood, Lenya prayed that her own blood type and magic affinity would match hers. And the result was...
—It's not the right match. The characteristics are completely different.
Lenya fell into despair, but racked her brains desperately. Should she forcefully wake her master and ask to be examined? Or should she ask the neighbors, even if it meant looking for something to turn to? It was already quite late in the morning, so it shouldn't be too difficult to ask for help. As Lenya made a decision and tried to get up with the blood transfusion diagnostic tool in hand, something happened.
The bed shook slightly.
—Eh?
Rue got on the bed and sat next to Daisy, leaning his back against the headboard. Then, without hesitation, he pulled out the diagnostic needle and pricked his palm.
—Calepa!
Startled, Lenya inadvertently let out a loud exclamation. Who would dare demand blood from Calepa? In the midst of her confusion, the test results came out. It was an exact coincidence.
—My God! Both blood type and magic affinity are identical! We are very lucky!
Rue looked at the test results in silence. Then, as if he found it somewhat absurd, he let out a small laugh.
—It's quite a resilient destiny. —He extended his arm towards Lenya—. I will entrust the blood transfusion to you, Miss Lenya.
Thanks to that, Lenya had to bravely insert the needle into Calepa's body with trembling hands. Her heart felt like it was beating so hard it was going to burst, but somehow she managed to succeed.
"Uf."
Finally they had overcome the biggest obstacle. Lenya wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and cast a quick look at Daisy and Rue's faces. Rue was looking at Daisy in silence, his face full of deep concern. At that moment, Rue looked like an ordinary man worried about a friend, rather than the great figure that Calepa was. At least that's what he seemed like next to Daisy.
"It's very different from what I've heard in the stories."
Blue hair and golden eyes. Lenya had a lesson she had learned a long time ago from Malcolm.
—If you find someone with blue hair and golden eyes among your Calepas, treat him with the utmost respect. Don't lie, don't engage in direct conversation and avoid eye contact. Just let him be where he is. Don't try to do anything. Only then can you survive.
That was the blue-haired Calepa.
"After hearing those stories... I thought Calepa was a monster who killed people casually."
But the blue-haired Calepa I met was completely different from her imagination. On his part, Calepa "Rue" smiled warmly. Sometimes he was playful, sometimes naughty and sometimes affectionate. He seemed not to hesitate to show small signs of touch and had a habit of establishing eye contact in silence during conversations. At least when it came to Daisy.
Suddenly Lenya felt curious. "What is the relationship between Daisy and Calepa?" She wasn't deaf, so she knew how remarkable the position of the Calepa was. However, Daisy treated Rue without reservation, and yet she seemed to have almost no connection to Rogue.
"Are they family? Or friends? Or perhaps boyfriend and girlfriend? If it's none of those..."
—Miss Lenya.
Lenya raised her head with a look of surprise, as if her thoughts had been caught.
—Yes? Yes, yes!
—Can you bring Priest Malcolm here?
Lenya responded by hurrying out of the bedroom. She ran straight to the bedroom on the opposite side of the hall and quickly shook Malcolm, who was lying down, to wake him up, regardless of whether her master was resting or not.
—What's the matter, Lenya? Is there a fire or something?
—C-Calepa... said to bring Priest Malcolm...!
—...Priest Malcolm? Did he say Priest Malcolm? Not just Malcolm?
—Yes, yes.
Malcolm, still dazed, carefully combed his messy hair and pulled a white robe and a green sash from deep in the closet, and put them on. Rogue's priestly uniform. "It's the first time I've seen the master wear that."
Lenya briefly told Malcolm the situation as they left the bedroom. Then, as soon as they arrived in front of Rue's room, he stood still with a pious attitude.
—I am Malcolm, the priest. Have you called me, Calepa?
No answer was heard. Exactly five seconds later, Malcolm opened the door and entered the room. He approached the edge of the bed and cried out, kneeling carefully in front of Rue.
—Calepa, Calepa, Calepa.
After a long greeting that sounded like a prayer, Rue asked as if he had been waiting.
—Malcolm, to what extent have you achieved the unity of body and mind?
—Regrettably, the second stage was the last one I managed to reach.
—Very well. If you don't mind, could you share your experience?
—Yes. After overcoming the first stage, my soul became stronger and my ears became more sensitive. After overcoming the second stage, my body became stronger and my eyes were opened. According to Rogue's discernment, by overcoming these two stages, my life expectancy increased by a total of 28 years.
Rogue was a group that pursued the state of divinity. All priests dedicated their lives to training to overcome the barrier of body and mind unity. Therefore, rogue priests were divided into four ranks according to their level of unity.
Those who overcame the first stage were called **Senyots**.
Those who overcame the second stage were called **Yettes**.
Those who overcame the third stage were called **Huwis**.
And finally, those who reached the level of Semigods were called **Calepas**.
In each generation, the number of Calepas remained between 3 and 4. However, since reaching the state of semigod was almost impossible, the position of Calepas had mostly been occupied by the best Huwis.
And the Calepa before him… According to Malcolm's knowledge, he was not a Huwi.
With a gentle nod, Rue's voice fell over Malcolm's bowed head.
—Yette Malcolm... I guess you have met other Rogue Yettes and Huwis, haven't you?
—Yes.
—In that case, let me ask you one thing. Have you ever seen anyone whose body broke as soon as they passed the second stage?