Chapter 347: Chapter 347: Rumours to reality
Chapter 347: Chapter 347: Rumours to reality
....
An unknown amount of time had passed before Eren appeared to regain his senses, feeling as if his body was lying on something soft.
Despite that, his body ached terribly, as if he had been in a brutal battle where he had taken severe beatings.
Even the slightest movement was painful, with the discomfort stemming more from his nerves than his physical body.
"This is really going to be the death of me one day," he softly mumbled as his eyes fluttered open, greeted by a familiar, dimly lit ceiling.
He blinked several times, trying to clear the haze that clung to his vision. Eren tried to raise his hand to rub his eyes, immediately regretting it as a sharp pain shot through his ribs.
He tried to move his arms, finding them heavy and unresponsive at first. With quite some effort, he managed to bring one hand to his face. His fingers trembled slightly, and he wondered just how long he had been out.
He groaned softly, attempting to shift his position on what felt like a soft and comfortable bed. Every muscle in his body protested, aching with a dull throb that seemed to penetrate through his bones.
"Should I ask who beat you up so badly?"
Eren was still groaning in pain when he heard Zia's voice. His face turned red in embarrassment. He had momentarily forgotten that he was in Zia's room.
Without realizing her presence, he had been crying in pain like a child. This was just embarrassing for someone who had maintained a strong persona.
He was someone who hadn't made the slightest noise in front of the Holy Priestess even when his body was in a much worse condition before. However, now that he became more comfortable with his surroundings, he had forgotten that act.
"Nonsense. I was not beaten by anyone," Eren exclaimed, forcing his body up, even though it felt like every bone in his body was hurting.
"Definitely. I was the one beaten to the point that I passed out while bleeding. It definitely has nothing to do with you," Zia sarcastically answered.
Although she was being sarcastic and slightly ignorant to Eren's pain, she was also the one who had been concerned about Eren throughout the night.
As an Alchemist, she knew all too well about the condition Eren's body was in. Even the healing pill didn't work on him, only relieving some of the pain temporarily.
She was truly happy when Eren woke up but she didn't reveal her real thoughts.
Instead, she used her sarcasm, appearing like she was mocking him. It was also a way for her to get back at him for the things he made her do last night.
She didn't leave her room throughout the night but she was sure that every person working in this Palace already knew what she did with Eren throughout the night. At least that's what they believed.
Only she knew how she was going to show her face outside while knowing what all of them must be thinking about.
The only good thing was that it happened far away from the Great Demon Sect. The chances of this rumor spreading to the Eastern Continent were close to none, until someone went out of this way to have this insignificant rumor spread.
For now, the rumor was restricted to this city. With that, the chances of Xiu Ying or others hearing about this were close to none.
Hearing Zia's sarcastic comments, Eren flicked her forehead with his finger. "That's enough. Did anything else happen after I passed out?"
Zia rubbed her forehead, glaring at Eren as if she had been wronged.
"You mean other than everyone believing us to be a bunch of perverts? Nothing significant happened. No one showed up in the room throughout the night, fortunately."
"Cough." Eren coughed abruptly. "I only told you to moan. I didn't tell you to moan to the point that the entire palace could hear. It's not my fault that you took your role so seriously."
"You!" Zia glared at Eren, pushing him down on the bed while sitting on top of him. "You dare mock me?"
Even when he was hurt, Eren didn't show any pain. That display of crying like a child was enough embarrassment for one day which he didn't want any more of.
Instead, he still teased Zia which was the best way to get back at her. "Little girl, I think you should get off me. Or I might make the rumors into reality."
The moment Zia realized the meaning of his words, she quickly moved back, getting off him. Her gaze still remained on Eren acted innocent as if he didn't know the meaning behind his words.
Eren forced his body to sit up, ignoring the pain that made him clench his fist at times.
"Did you take my clothes off?" he asked Zia, noticing that he wasn't wearing anything beneath the bedsheet. "You know, you could have just asked me if you wanted to see me like this."
"Bah, I only took off your clothes because you were sweating through the night while groaning in pain like a baby!" Zia scoffed back at Eren, not even looking at him.
However, she still remembered everything that she had seen when he was taking off his clothes. It was a memory that had somehow been imprinted in her mind.
Eren didn't even know what to say. He would have loved to tease this girl more if he wasn't almost dying in pain. He also had to meet the Holy Priestess as it was already morning to confirm that she wasn't close to catching the Sea Dragon Empress anymore.
He brought more clothes out of his storage ring and started getting dressed right there. He didn't tell Zia to turn around as if he didn't care about it. In any case, she had already seen everything.
If he acted embarrassed now, it was only going to make her feel victorious which he didn't want.