Chapter 18

So I quickly returned to the room and opened the door, but Jeremy was nowhere to be seen.

“……Jeremy?”

Where did he go? Usually, Jeremy was guarding the drawing room attached to the room even when I was not there. Thinking of asking Jeremy for some warm tea, I looked around and looked for Jeremy.

“Where did he go?”

Well, Jeremy has been busy dealing with my needs and all sorts of things. Maybe he was away for a while because he had something to do.

I gave up on finding Jeremy and came back to the room, and I saw a small shadow in the corner. It was a small room for miscellaneous furniture. Jeremy was clearly short and had round shoulders. But what is he doing over there?

I silenced the sound of my footsteps.

Then I crept up, grabbed Jeremy by the shoulder, and spoke to him.

“Jeremy, what are you doing here? I’ve been looking for it for a long time..”

“……!”

“……Jeremy?”

“Lady Julia….”

“What’s that? What’s wrong?”

Jeremy tried to cover his face in a hurry, but it was too late. I grabbed Jeremy’s hand and he bowed deeply. I spoke in a determined voice.

“Jeremy, raise your head and show me your face. Come on.”

But Jeremy was firmly bowing down. Just as I tried to call him again, he shook his shoulders. Then the drops of water fell on my feet. I leaned before him in embarrassment. I put my knee on the floor and grabbed his chin. Tears welled up in my hands.

“Heuk, L-Lady Julia, if you lower yourself in front of something like me…”

Jeremy’s face was a mess. No matter where touched, his forehead was bright red, and there were scratches, bruises, and swollen marks on his white cheeks. Not only that, but also between the collar of his clothes, a raw bite was seen. Feeling my eyes, Jeremy tried to tighten his collar. I jerked up his sleeve.

“……!”

His arm was worse than his face. The bruise, scratches, and bloody wounds on his arms were full. However, the wound was not only new, and there were marks from a long time ago. He had marks on his arms like a brown dot.

The moment I saw the wound, my throat burned.

It’s been more than two weeks since I’ve lived in this room. How could I not notice even once? I saw Jeremy right next to me every day. My stupidity felt terrible.

I pulled up Jeremy’s pants and checked his legs. His legs were also a mess with scars. Especially the red lines on the calves are like…… It seemed to have been struck with something as thin and sharp as a whip. Jeremy was startled when my hand touched his calf. It was swollen enough to hurt just by a slight brush.

“Who did this?”

“It’s just that I fell by myself…….”

“Jeremy, look at me.”

After wiping away his tears, Jeremy said with a stern look.

“Lady Julia, you’re calling me because you want me to do something, right? Tell me and I’ll be right back. Or can I get you some hot tea?”

“……Jeremy.”

I’ve had a similar experience.

Among the jobs that poor commoners could get, the maid of the temple was quite well treated. I do chores all day, but I can learn letters and manage to save money when I get older. It was also common for commoners to line up at the shrine to make their daughter a maid.

But I, a child from the orphanage, suddenly became a maid of the temple. It was also sponsored by the High Priest, Grandpa Winder.

The maids in the temple did not like me, and they bullied me whenever they had time. In such a way as to hit me where it’s not visible or steal things without being noticed by the priest.

“Jeremy, how many times has this happened?”

“No……no. I fell down, and, uh, it’s my first time.”

Jeremy’s words were plain lies. I know how people behave. They must have picked on him while he wasn’t seen.

And they would have threatened him not to speak. Furthermore, Jeremy would have been a better target because he was small and weak. Being small is a characteristic of a child born of a mixed race between a demon and a human. This is because two disparate energies inhibit the body’s growth.

She was no longer physically harassed since becoming a saint at the age of 12. However, bullying has only become more secretive and insidious. The shrines of the temple were young and difficult for me, the superior, and the maids whispered behind my back and exchanged my supplies for something more old. Leo, the Holy Knight, was too sacred for me to talk comfortably.

Still, it was okay to have grandpa Winder who took care of me. However, when I heard a whisper in my back as I passed by, or when I saw my peers chatting happily from afar, an indelible sense of darkness came.

Jeremy just reminded me of my childhood. The characteristics of mixed blood and the personality of atrophy were the same. Jeremy suddenly became my servant, and it was no wonder that there were those who regarded him as an eyesore.

So at least I need to know what happened to Jeremy.

I grabbed Jeremy’s hand. And little by little, I let my divine power slip through my hands to Jeremy.

“It could hurt a little.”

Originally, the healing magic I use does not affect demons. For example, I cannot cure Heath. Even if I use healing magic, it will only cause pain, let alone treatment. This is because the energy of the demon people and humans resists each other. However, although it may hurt a little due to the repulsive effect of mana, it was possible to use healing magic for mixed-race people like Jeremy.

Jeremy trembled with surprise as the divine power flowed in. Fortunately, the healing magic was successful. The wound began to heal little by little as I continued to shed my divine power, and Jeremy’s expression, who was biting his lips in pain at first, became more comfortable.

“Lady Julia, this is…….”

“It’s healing magic. It doesn’t work for the other demons, but I’m glad it worked for you.”

“Is it because I’m half-demon?”

I smiled bitterly. This is because I could guess what Jeremy usually heard. I used to be the same, too.

I thought people hated me because I was an orphan, because I was late in learning how to write, because I was lazy, and because I was suddenly lucky and became a saint.

“Don’t say that. All right, it’s done.”

“……thank you.”

Jeremy bowed to me again and again. I thought I had barely stopped crying, but my eyes were wet again. I hugged him gently on the back and patted him on the shoulder. Jeremy’s little body came into my arms.

“If you get hurt like this in the future, don’t hide it and tell me. What?

It was just then.

“What are you doing?”

I heard a low voice behind me. I turned around and found Heath standing. Heath saw me patting Jeremy in the hand, and frowned strangely. His eyes sink deeply.

Jeremy, who had been crying until now, straightened his posture as soon as Heath appeared. I took Jeremy’s hand again and patted him, but his expression was not relieved at all. He even sweats cold. He doesn’t have to be so scared.