Chapter 99
Blink.
‘…A familiar ceiling.’
If it’s possible to call a ceiling you’ve only seen for a day “familiar,” that is.
…Why am I here?
As I tried to gather my thoughts, the throbbing pain in my head tightened its grip even more.
“Ah, I remember now…”
At least I succeeded in recalling the memory.
I took down Krumo’s Shadow, then collapsed from the recoil of the Blessing.
Judging by the fact that I can’t remember anything after that, it seems like I fainted and have just regained consciousness.
No wonder my head hurts so much; I was forcibly knocked out and then regained consciousness.
After lying down for a few hours, I feel a bit better than I did before passing out.
The sensation of my body being torn apart is still the same, though.
I forced my still feeble body to stand up and headed toward the source of the commotion.
“You’re awake!”
Da-eun’s face lit up with joy.
As I took a small step back, Da-eun, who had been ready to run over and hug me, paused in her tracks.
“Are you still in pain?”
“…I’m not exactly fine.”
There’s no point in lying about it.
The moment I spoke, Da-eun’s face, which had been full of joy, quickly darkened.
She frantically hovered around me, seemingly at a loss, unable to bring herself to touch someone in pain.
“Then shouldn’t you be lying back down instead of standing? What if your condition worsens? Come on, let’s get back to bed and rest properly. Even if it’s stuffy, make sure to keep yourself covered…. Okay? Good girl….”
“….”
What the hell is she doing?
Just watching her makes me think this could go on forever.
Whack!
“Ow!”
“Enough.”
When a machine malfunctions, a good smack fixes it.
The same goes for Da-eun when she’s malfunctioning.
Da-eun, clutching her head after the light smack, finally quieted down. I nodded with satisfaction as I watched her.
Maybe I have a talent for this sort of thing.
I might even be able to make a living out of it someday.
Da-eun, who had been rubbing her head and groaning, suddenly jumped up.
“Violence is not okay!”
“Sorry, but I’ve survived using this method all my life.”
“…When you put it like that, I have nothing to say! Suddenly making a point like that is totally unfair!”
Da-eun started pulling at her hair in frustration.
Seeing her beautiful hair getting tangled between her fingers made me feel a little…
Not sorry at all.
It’s not the first time I’ve seen Da-eun act like this. Besides, she’s probably just exaggerating, so I don’t need to worry.
“You’re awake…”
“Artisha.”
Artisha acknowledged me with a slight nod.
But…
“Feels like you’re keeping a bit of distance.”
We weren’t exactly close to begin with, but Artisha was definitely keeping her distance right now.
It wasn’t just my imagination either; she was clearly cautious, constantly gauging my reactions.
When I took a step closer as a test, she took two steps back.
…What is this?
As I narrowed my eyes and glared at her, Artisha, flustered and unlike her usual self, answered awkwardly.
“Um, I was worried the Magi might affect you…”
“Ah.”
So, that’s what it was.
I thought she was afraid of me or something and avoiding me because of that.
This might sound like a delusion from a teenager or self-conceit, but…
Having experienced similar situations before, I can’t help but think like this.
I made an excuse to no one in particular.
“It’s fine. Even though I’m not in the best condition, I won’t be affected by that level of Magi.”
“Really…?”
“I don’t lie about things like this.”
Judging by the suspicious look in her eyes, she probably thought I was pretending to be tough to save face.
As I mentioned before, I wouldn’t bother putting in that kind of effort for someone I’m not particularly close to.
“That’s right, that’s right! Kana would never do something as considerate as that! She’s probably thinking, ‘No way could some low-level Magi like yours affect someone as great as me.’ Isn’t that right?”
“….”
Da-eun, who seemed to have calmed down for a moment, started malfunctioning again.
It appears I went too easy on her earlier, and now she’s back to being broken.
How hard should I hit her to fix her without breaking her entirely?
As I clenched and unclenched my fists, Da-eun, sensing the danger, quickly scurried away.
Surprisingly, Da-eun’s antics seemed to have worked, as the suspicion in Artisha’s eyes faded away.
“I’m jealous…”
“…Of what?”
“That you can withstand the Magi…”
My eyes landed on Artisha’s broken horn.
Artisha yearns for Laxia.
If her horn hadn’t been broken, she probably wouldn’t have come to the Ardina Continent.
But even so, Artisha did not regret losing her horn.
There was a sense of pride—pride in having protected something precious in exchange for her horn.
Offering comfort to someone with such pride would be an insult.
Especially if it came from someone as inexperienced as me.
“If you try, you can probably do it too.”
“Do you really think so…?”
I hope so…
Artisha smiled faintly.
“Thank you… Because of you and Joanie, the number of casualties was significantly reduced…”
She said that it was because of me that they were able to kill Krumo’s Shadow.
And thanks to Joanie, who ran around tirelessly helping with the rescue, the number of victims was minimized.
“Hmm.”
So, Da-eun did something like that.
I wondered why the Shadow seemed so agitated—turns out Da-eun’s rescue efforts must have really gotten on its nerves.
“You said you were looking for a ship to Laxia… I’ll make sure to get you the best ship possible…”
“As long as it doesn’t sink, I don’t really care.”
“I can’t treat a benefactor that way…”
“Well… do whatever you want.”
I straightened my body, which had been leaning against the doorframe.
“Don’t you have something you need to do right now?”
“Something to do…?”
Click.
“Exterminating pests.”
I raised the sword I held in one hand.
“Those monsters, they’ve gathered, haven’t they?”
“You heard…?”
“Weren’t you talking loud enough for me to hear?”
“Sorry… I guess I was speaking too loudly…”
“…You’re really different from yesterday.”
No, not even yesterday.
The Artisha now was noticeably different even compared to this morning’s Artisha.
For someone to change so much in such a short time… she must genuinely be grateful, not just saying it out of courtesy.
“This is my responsibility, so I’ll handle it.”
If it had been a regular monster attack, I would have just left it for them to deal with. But this time, I can’t turn a blind eye.
Because the reason the monsters have gathered is because of me.
“What do you mean by that?”
Smack!
“Ow!”
I gave Da-eun a divine punishment on the head as she tried to sneak into the conversation, seemingly having forgotten her past transgressions.
“Do you know why there are especially dangerous monsters near a dragon’s lair?”
No matter how powerful a monster may be, it knows that challenging a dragon would turn it into a monster.
“Because of their strong territorial instincts?”
“More than their own lives?”
“Hmm, so I got it wrong. What’s the right answer, Professor?”
Da-eun’s expression showed no hint of regret for getting the answer wrong. In fact, she seemed almost amused by it.
At this point, I think Da-eun is just having fun.
The answer didn’t come from my mouth, but from somewhere else.
“Because of the Mana… Right?”
“Correct.”
“…”
I nodded slightly at Artisha’s cautious question.
It could be, as Da-eun said, that some of the creatures have such strong territorial instincts that they won’t relocate.
But the biggest reason is the Mana spilled by the dragon.
Mana that is pure, free of any contamination.
With that kind of Mana continuously flowing out, they’re willing to take risks and settle nearby.
Just as Mana is a source of life and a means to grow stronger for humans, it’s the same for monsters.
“And this ring is imbued with the dragon’s Mana.”
To be precise, it’s not just Mana—it’s the dragon itself dwelling within. But since the outcome is the same, there’s no need to correct myself.
“I wanted to tell you earlier…”
“But?”
“You know why.”
At that, Da-eun’s expression shifted to one of realization.
Thinking back, I definitely overexerted myself.
I ended up using too much power because I was not in a good mood at the time.
There was also a sense of urgency.
Given the level of that creature, I could have killed it without invoking the Blessing.
…But if I had done that, the damage might have been greater.
In that sense, maybe my choice wasn’t entirely wrong, but it doesn’t change the fact that I overused Grasid’s power.
I sighed deeply and staggered forward.
“W-where are you going?!”
“I told you, since it’s my responsibility—”
“That won’t do!”
“Hiya!”
With a small, cute cry, I suddenly found myself lifted off the ground.
The familiar scent and sensation that approached me.
Without any hesitation, Da-eun, who was now holding me in a princess carry, walked back into the room I had just left and gently laid me on the bed.
Then, she covered me with a moderately thick blanket, pulling it up to the very top of my head.
“Mmmph.”
The whole process was so smooth and natural that I didn’t even have time to protest. I finally managed to snap out of it and poked my head out from under the blanket.
“What are you doing…?”
“Leave this to us, and you rest like a proper patient!”
“She’s right… We’re not so weak that we’d need your help for something like this….”
Artisha, who had followed us in, echoed Da-eun’s sentiments, and even Celine, standing behind her, nodded in agreement.
I looked at the three of them, all united in stopping me, with an incredulous expression.
“What nonsense.”
“Ah-ah! Tsk, tsk!”
Ignoring their words, I tried to sit up, but Da-eun, with a stern look, pushed me back down onto the bed.
“See? You fell back with just my feeble strength. Kana, you need to rest and stabilize yourself.”
“…?”
In this state, I’m confident I could take down as many people at Da-eun’s level as they throw at me.
Yet, whether I looked annoyed or not, Da-eun just threw the blanket back over me.
This time, leaving only my eyes visible.
“Anyway! We’ll take care of it, so Kana, you just rest up! If I catch you out there, I’m going to spank your bottom! Scared yet?”
“…”
…Unbelievable.
I was so dumbfounded by her stern glare and her ridiculous threat that I didn’t even know how to respond.
Even if I were a child—no, even if I were a child, I doubt I’d find such a threat scary.
I watched blankly as the three of them left, drawing the curtains and firmly closing the door behind them, and then I let out a breath.
“…Even if you ask for my help later, I won’t help.”
Yes, absolutely not.
I nodded firmly, making that resolution.
“…”
Still.
…Well.
It doesn’t feel all that bad.
I pulled the blanket over my head, covering myself completely.
“…It’s hot.”
This heat… It must be from being wrapped too tightly under the blanket.
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