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.

"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.