CHAPTER 306: WHILE HE SLEEPS

While sending healing energy into him to help his recovery, Dominic used his fingers to gently fix Shiao Yi’s hair, which had become tangled and messy.

Not long after that, Eline came in while carrying a wooden bucket filled with warm water.

"My lord..."

Dominic wiped away the tears that were overflowing on his face using the back of his hand and then carefully cleaned the soot and dirt from Shiao Yi’s face that was still marked by burns using a warm towel.

He wanted to give Shiao Yi a bath, but since Shiao Yi’s whole body had collapsed and broken down earlier, he decided to only wipe him with a warm towel.

Dominic felt uneasy doing it alone, so Eline stayed behind to help him.

Together, they cleaned Shiao Yi’s body with the greatest care and making sure not to put any burden on him.

The door chime rang and Jude arrived with a doctor.

Lambard who had driven the carriage earlier peeked from behind the door with a worried expression.

After the doctor examined Shiao Yi closely, he replaced the bandages, left medicine to stop inflammation and then departed.

"What about dinner?" Jude asked.

Dominic was about to say he didn’t need any, but then he took his words back.

He had no appetite, but if Shiao Yi woke up and saw him looking weak or exhausted, he would worry.

Knowing Shiao Yi, he might even get angry.

"I’ll eat here. Bring something easy to eat while I watch over him."

"Understood. I will bring it shortly."

Jude bowed and then pulled Eline out who still looked like she wanted to stay.

Dominic placed a gentle kiss on Shiao Yi’s sleeping lips.

He told himself that Shiao Yi had returned to him alive.

That alone was enough.

Shiao Yi had fought with his life on the line.

He had accepted everything and bravely faced the Aeon.

He had ended up this broken and still hadn’t regained consciousness.

It almost felt as if Shiao Yi had come into this world for the sole purpose of defeating the Aeon.

But it was over now.

From now on, they could live peacefully without worrying about the Aeon’s threat.

They could spend their slow, warm, happy days together.

So Dominic wanted him to wake up soon.

To recover quickly and show him his smile again.

No matter how long it took, Dominic would wait.

He would wait forever and ever for him.

...

Shiao Yi kept sleeping deeply.

Three days passed, then seven, then ten and before long half a month had gone by.

During that time, the world continued to move.

Maybe because all the nations had worked together to defeat the Aeon, diplomacy became more active than ever before.

The permanent alliances were formed between Dalmasca and many other countries.

Also since the threat of the Aeon has been gone now, the investigations of ruins became lively again.

It was said that after Mr. Vundo heard the newsz he became so excited that he forgot about his age and escaped from the Magic Tower while his subordinates had to chase after him many times.

The places that Dominic and Shiao Yi had visited during their journey were now being used as strong bases where new groups of explorer were sent.

Some strong facilities were being built there and it was also equipped with communication tools and teleportation magic circles.

Thanks to this, people would now be able to travel to the East Continent again and new cultural exchanges and discoveries would surely follow.

It was a good thing for the world to expand.

Dominic simply hoped that these exchanges would stay calm and rational.

In the Solmaria Kingdom word spread that the queen and her people had been rescued from under the rubble of the old palace.

Many lives had been lost from the terrible shock and from being crushed under fallen roofs and stones.

The queen, her cousin, and the chancellor had survived only because a beam had held up, but they were badly injured and were now resting.

Even if they recovered, many people believed they would suffer permanent effects and could not continue ruling.

The great shock that shook the land had collapsed the land bridge connecting the East Continent to Solmaria.

The Solmaria Kingdom had become an island nation once again.

Since there was no longer a threat of invasion from others, Rosaria decided to leave everything to the people of Solmaria and withdrew completely.

The teleportation circles that had been set up there were already removed.

All of these things were told to Dominic by his butler, Jude.

Dominic often wondered where Jude found all this information and how he managed to gather it.

He had thought the same thing before and it was a mystery.

As for Dominic himself, he had not left Shiao Yi’s side even for a moment since that day.

In a way, he was living like a shut-in.

Even when a summons came from the king, signed by the king’s own hand, even when the chancellor sent message after message demanding a detailed explanation, even when his direct superior, Quintus, sent an order that sounded almost like a threat telling him to report, even when members of the Knight Order begged to see his face, Dominic did not move at all.

When his father, his mother, or Louis came to visit the house, Dominic would talk with them a little, but even that he ended within an hour.

Dominic was the only one who took care of Shiao Yi and he did not want to leave that to anyone else.

What if something happened while he stepped away for even a moment?

So Dominic abandoned everything and stayed by Shiao Yi’s side without pause.

His duty as a Special Knight had ended the moment the Aeon disappeared.

So there should have been no problem.

A report? A reward from the king?

Compared to Shiao Yi, those things were like nothing.

He did not need them.