WNC 423

It was easy for me to perform Footwork by moving only my lower body without moving my upper body. Also, I could easily lift a weight like Ruben with just one finger.

Ruben leaned against my neck, wrapping his arms around me with a sense of security. He held me tightly, embracing me close to his body.

I decided to have Samantha take my horse along with us. Fearing something might happen if we got too far from them, I ran at their pace.

Benjamin, who had jumped over the fence on his horse, glanced at me and made a wry remark.

“Mikael is becoming more and more inhuman…”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It is a compliment.”

The Sylphs and Undines perched on my head chattered, grabbing handfuls of my hair like reins, or circled around me, dancing and singing.

After a while, I felt the Spirits drawing a thread of Mana from me. Though each took only a small amount, combined, it was a considerable quantity. Still, as I was now, I could easily handle summoning them for twenty-four hours a day. I felt relieved inwardly.

At some point, Ruben fell asleep again, tired. I didn’t bother to wake him.

Somehow, we made it back to the lodging.

As soon as I opened the door, my eyes met a Goblin eating leftovers from a dog bowl with its hands. The moment it saw me, it began stuffing food into its mouth with both hands in a frenzy. Its appearance was so absurd that I looked to Boulder for a reaction.

Mage Boulder greeted us not with words, but by swinging his staff around his head. His gaze was fixed on the Goblin, not leaving it. He looked as pleased as if he were watching his own grandson.

“…What is that…?”

“Goblins are omnivores, so I figured they could get by on our leftovers. They say they can survive for up to 13 days without food or water, but if they get weak, they become a hassle to carry around, and they look pitiful, don’t they? See, it’s eating so well.”

“…Ah, I see.”

Mage Boulder poked the eating Goblin with the tip of his staff. The Goblin, without baring its teeth at all, flinched and lowered its posture. Its darting eyes and wary expression were indeed pitiable.

“They only listen well if you feed them like this and consistently show them your strength.”

“…Hmm.”

I didn’t want to give it any more attention. I turned away from Mage Boulder, who seemed eager to talk at length about Goblin ecology.

Marianne was at a large table in a corner, with a book spread open, calculating various things. I figured she must have come out here to do her calculations because there was no large desk in the inner chambers. I walked over to Marianne and knocked twice on the table.

Marianne, looking busy and flustered, replied without looking at me.

“Oh, you’re back?”

“Yes. I’d like to call a doctor… but could Marianne take a look first?”

“Huh? What… Ack! What is it? Your Highness, why are you like this? Did something happen?”

“I wanted to check if perhaps you were affected by Contaminated Mana…”

“Wh-what? No, no, no. Let’s get you upstairs first. I’ll talk to you after you lie down on the bed.”

“Yes.”

Indeed, Marianne was a thousand times more human than Mage Boulder. Marianne, with a look of great concern, followed me. From behind, Samantha Andrei, who had tied up the horses and come in, was heard ordering a worker to call a doctor. I readjusted my hold on Ruben’s limp body.

❖ ❖ ❖

Marianne declared that there wasn’t a single trace of Contaminated Mana on Ruben’s body. I had been anxious even though I could see it with my own eyes, but it was a great relief that Marianne couldn’t see anything suspicious either.

The doctor from the Nobility Yearbook Inspection Department arrived not long after. The doctor, a woman who looked to be in her early twenties, wore a long skirt that reached her ankles. She had a much calmer and more composed tone than the quack I had seen before, and her presence alone inspired trust.

The doctor declared that Rubel’s recovery was immediate, so there wouldn’t be significant after-effects.

“…Even though he coughed up blood?”

“Looking at him now, you received a strong blow from the upper shoulder down to just below the thoracic vertebrae, which severely compressed your lungs. Fortunately, you used a Type 5 Medical Artifact less than 10 seconds after the injury. The Restoration Magic expelled the blood that had pooled in your lungs. Thanks to that, you’ve fully recovered without respiratory issues. If you hadn’t coughed up the blood, it would have been a serious problem then.”

As I listened to the subsequent explanation, my eyes began to burn again. Thinking of my own dazed state while Samantha Andrei was treating Ruben made my insides ache even more. I ran a hand down my face and let out a deep sigh.

Marianne, watching the doctor pack up her medical tools, quickly asked.

“How many days will the pain linger?”

“It will be difficult for about… two weeks from now. It was an impact strong enough to break your ribs from hitting your back, so if you’re unlucky, you might feel difficulty breathing or pressure. However, Your Highness is young and healthy, so you’ll be fine with just some diligent rehabilitation exercises.”

“Rehabilitation exercises?”

“Yes. Preferably bodyweight exercises that use the shoulders, upper arms, and back muscles. You shouldn’t have him lift heavy objects from the start.”

“Did you hear that?”

Blinking, Marianne looked at me with a bright smile. There was no better teacher than myself for guiding bodyweight exercises. As I mentally ran through exercises to help Ruben’s rehabilitation, I spoke again.

“On that note… why is His Highness Ruben still asleep?”

“It’s because his five senses are dulled more than usual. He would wake up if you tried to rouse him now, but it’s best to let him rest deeply. I’ll prescribe a Painkiller, so please make sure he takes it after meals. Two pills, twice a day, morning and evening.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“It’s my job. Although it’s unlikely, if His Highness requests on-site medical personnel, please contact me. I’ll come right away.”

“Yes.”

The doctor bowed and left. Samantha and Bailey, who had been standing beside her, also requested to stay within the building to attend to Ruben’s needs, and were granted permission.

Marianne badgered Benjamin into monitoring Mage Boulder to ensure he didn’t do anything strange. It was then I realized that Marianne had stayed downstairs instead of going into her room to keep an eye on Boulder.

So now, only Ruben and Marianne remain in Ruben’s room.

I pulled a chair closer to the head of the bed and sat down, wanting to be as close to Ruben as possible. Marianne, a short distance away, hopped onto a table near the window. The fact that she sat on the table despite a chair being available perfectly suited her free-spirited nature.

With the sunset light on her back, Marianne’s face looked particularly dark.

“Mikael.”

“Yes.”

“Do you know you’ve changed again?”

“Hmm?”

I didn’t immediately understand what she meant. As I looked at her quizzically, Marianne spoke with a look of great concern.

“That mass of Mana that used to hover around Mikael’s body. It suddenly disappeared, and I can’t figure out why. If it were just ordinary power, I wouldn’t be this worried…”

“Ah. It’s probably because I became a Grand Sword Master this time.”

“Ah. …Ah, I see. So that’s why it disappeared.”

…

Isn’t something strange about this?

I wasn’t trying to make a fuss, but seeing Marianne instantly calm down and hop off the table made me feel odd. Without thinking too long, I asked directly.

“…Aren’t you surprised?”

“No, well… it was like that when you became a Sword Master, too. I just forgot. I guess that strange Mana convection phenomenon was a precursor to becoming a Grand Sword Master. Still, it’s good that it wasn’t dangerous. I worried for nothing.”

“…So, …um. Yes.”

“But how did it happen like this?”

I answered slowly in a low voice, so as not to wake Ruben. I recounted visiting Biban’s central shrine, the desolate scene of the empty temple, the statue covered in chains steeped in Contaminated Mana, accidentally awakening the statue while trying to purify the Contaminated Mana, the fierce battle, and the moment the statue struck Ruben, causing a strong shock to my mind and allowing me to manipulate energies.

“…I could manipulate those energies freely from the moment I dealt with the statue. Now, fearing it might harm Ruben, I’ve only taken in as much as I can handle into my body, and dispersed the rest.”

“So, Mikael is saying… you became a Grand Sword Master through the power of love?”

“…Um.”

“Nooooo!”

As she exclaimed loudly, I quickly raised a finger to her lips. Marianne, patting her chest with her small hand, grumbled in a low voice.

“No. Your Highness was hit, and then you infused energy into your sword. There must have been some change in between, right? That, the realization. The direction the Mana moved. Something like that. Isn’t there anything like that?”

“It’s not something that can be explained in words… It just… it just happened.”

“Even so. But still.”

“Um.”

“Was there anything strange? Was that really all?”

“…Faster than I expected…? That’s about it…”

Marianne began patting her chest again.

Having nothing more to say, I waited until Marianne could calm her anger.

As I waited, another thought occurred to me.

“It has become easier to give Mana to the Spirits since then.”

“Haa… You’ve even tried summoning Spirits already? How was it?”

“I understand what it feels like to consume Mana endlessly… but for now, it’s a negligible amount that doesn’t affect me at all.”

“Hmmmm… Then summon them often and play with them. Feed them Mana whenever you have the chance, like growing Ranunculus.”

“Yes.”

Come to think of it, where are they now?

I knew they were somewhere within this building, but I didn’t know what they were doing without their master. However, I figured if I could hear the Spirits chattering, it would only distract me, so I didn’t call them. I figured they wouldn’t get into any serious trouble since our Mana was connected.

Marianne let out a sigh and changed the subject.

“Well, this is something His Highness should hear when he wakes up, but our side also had some results.”

“Hmm?”