By Zephyria 
After listening to the King, I understood Aska’s actions when we came to Actan. Even the way the Princess deliberately gave Aska wrong information and made him act like someone who wanted him to die.
She wanted me to end up killing Aska.
Even if that had actually happened, there would be no evidence left, so Aska was practically the Invincible Sword.
“The wound?”
Ah, I thought he was just going to let it go… I was about to talk about my healing ability when Mahir put his hand on my side, near my ribs.
“Ugh.”
I groaned involuntarily as I felt a sudden throbbing pain. It wasn’t so much the pain as the surprise.
Why does it hurt?
With a bewildered look, I lifted my clothes to check my abdomen. The area where I had been kicked and hit earlier was badly bruised. It should have been healed completely.
“Tsk, you really took a beating.”
In my bewilderment, I examined my palm. I thought the bleeding had stopped and it had healed, but when I looked closely, I saw that the blood was clotted.
When I gently scraped off the scab with my fingernail, a stinging pain came with the raw, red flesh underneath. The strange thing was that the wound was shallower than when I first saw it.
It was as if it had only partially healed… My thigh was also cut, but it was fine.
“When will our Prince ever grow up?”
Mahir constantly sneered until the Royal Physician arrived. But I couldn’t say a word. Why is it healing in some places and not in others? Is there something wrong with my ability? This has never happened before.
“The wound isn’t that deep… I’ll have to monitor the progress for a while.”
Why monitor the progress when the wound isn’t even deep? I thought Mahir would point this out, but he surprisingly just nodded silently. I tilted my head, then suddenly remembered.
I’ve been exposed to a lot of healing magic, so I have problems with my Self-healing ability. Didn’t the Royal Physician say that when Aska and I were getting treated?
I hadn’t paid much attention because my wounds kept healing on their own, so I had completely forgotten.
So that’s why Mahir was so angry. I thought I was in the wrong, but at the same time, I was slightly annoyed at why he was interfering so much, but I was short-sighted.
“Kyle.”
A wave of guilt washed over me as I stood awkwardly, but as soon as the Royal Physician left, Mahir called me again with a scary look on his face.
I wanted to tell him not to worry, that Aska had done something to my body so I was fine. But it seemed like it wasn’t working properly right now, so I couldn’t explain.
I thought he would worry more if I suddenly told him about my broken ability.
“You always think of my words as nagging, but…”
I quickly cut him off, afraid that Mahir was about to start a sad story.
“No, I don’t think of it as nagging. And this time, the truth is…”
I changed the subject and told him about Harold. About how Aska was taken to the royal family as a child and treated badly. Especially when I told him that Harold had kicked the small, young, and cute Aska, who had tripped and fallen, like a ball, Mahir frowned.
“How could a knight do that to a child…”
“There are more assholes in the world than you think. There are crazy bastards who only pick on children and the elderly.”
“Do you think I don’t know that? Anyway, you held back well. But it’s not right to vent your anger that way.”
Mahir suddenly stroked my hair, as if he thought my actions weren’t excessive.
“But how did you know his face?”
I couldn’t say I saw it in a dream, so I just stared at Mahir and lied appropriately.
“Aska drew a picture and showed it to me.”
“He must be a very good artist.”
“There’s nothing he can’t do.”
Mahir stroked my hair for a while, then looked at his watch and asked.
“Did Aska say he was resting?”
I flinched at the question, but fortunately Mahir wasn’t looking at me.
“He’s sleeping. Why?”
“I have something to ask him about the day the sky was torn apart. If what the King said is true, it’s related to the safety of the Empire.”
Ah, I’m screwed.
I put my hands on my knees, got up from the sofa, and said.
“Once he falls asleep, he doesn’t wake up easily…”
“…”
Mahir looked at me with a dumbfounded expression, as if my words were absurd. I smiled awkwardly and slowly moved my feet.
“Wait a minute.”
“Don’t get distracted and come straight back. Be careful not to reopen your wound. If you get hurt again, I’ll put you on house arrest. Do you understand?”
His tone was like he was talking to a child, which annoyed me a little, but I nodded obediently because I was planning to drag my feet as much as possible.
I left the room and returned to my room at a leisurely pace, and as expected, Aska was not there. I couldn’t understand why he hadn’t come, even though the promised time had long passed.
I didn’t know exactly where he had gone either. I couldn’t cut myself and lure him with the smell of blood like before, which was frustrating. And it wasn’t healing properly now either.
Aska used to find me like a ghost no matter where I was, so I wondered if I could develop a similar ability. Like the ability to heal wounds immediately, if Aska just tried a little…
“……?”
That’s when it happened. I was sitting on the bedside, thinking useless thoughts, when suddenly my heart beat loudly. It wasn’t constant, but a strong throb that blacked out my vision just once.
I put my hand on my left chest, groped around, and tilted my head. It was such a shocking moment that I couldn’t dismiss it as a mistake.
“What is it?”
I had never experienced this before, so I had no idea why. My heart hadn’t even beat like this when I was just lying in bed.
Aska wasn’t here either, which made me even more uneasy. Did something happen to Aska? Maybe that’s why my healing ability is messed up.
But even if I was worried, I couldn’t just go out because I didn’t know where he had gone. I couldn’t just go crazy and smash the building, hoping Aska would hear me.
There was no Sealing Magic to restrict my abilities like before, and I knew best that Aska was strong because I had seen it myself. So I thought nothing would happen, but I couldn’t help but worry.
Just as the size of my anxiety was slowly becoming unbearable, something suddenly appeared before my eyes without warning.
It was like a faded scene from an old picture book.
A vast, sizzling plain filled with thick fog and a towering structure in the middle. And a noisy sound that echoed like it was coming from underwater.
“……”
I had dreamed of unidentified scenes before, but this was the first time it had appeared to me while I was awake. As it became increasingly difficult to distinguish between reality and dream, I was standing in a humid, sweltering space.
“……”
I was only there for a brief moment, but it was so humid that droplets of water dripped from my hair and clothes. It was almost like being underwater.
I could faintly hear the sound of splashing water somewhere, and I could smell the salt.
The moment I tried to turn my head, I was sitting on the bedside again.
“……”
I stared ahead and blinked, then raised my hand and touched my arms and neck. Everything was dry, without a single wet spot. It was so vivid that I felt a chill.
At the same time, I wondered what the hell Aska was doing that these strange things were happening one after another. This always happens when he goes out alone.
That day, Aska said he was going alone and his body was shattered…
“Haa…”
I felt nauseous just thinking about it. It seemed best to just make sure he never wandered around alone again. I had been holding back because I was worried he would feel too suffocated, but it was better than regretting it after a problem arose.
The thought that a serious threat had befallen Aska dominated my brain. I jumped up, thinking I should just go out and wander around aimlessly. I felt another strange shock in my heart, but since I had experienced it once, I wasn’t that surprised.
I staggered for a moment, then jumped out the window and landed quietly before darting through the trees like a thief. They were much taller and had more leaves than the ones in Actan, making them ideal for hiding.
I was about to keep moving when I stopped. I stepped on a thin branch and raised my head to look at the dark sky.
I remembered that Aska always left someone by my side when he went somewhere. Just in case, I quietly muttered.
“Pipi?”
Before I could even listen, I heard the sound of flapping wings, and as if by magic, Pipi really appeared. Pipi sat on my shoulder, smaller than the palm of my hand, and began to peck at his wings with his beak.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the unbelievable situation.
“Did Aska tell you to stay by my side?”
—That’s right.
“I knew it…”
—He told me to keep watching you, so I’m starving.
“……?”
—There’s not much sweet bread here, why? Chichi says Sakira gives him cake every day. Only I’m unhappy. Change my post.
Pipi kept chattering, beeping and squeaking. His dignified tone, which contrasted with his high, clear bird song, was terribly out of place.
When I didn’t answer with a horrified expression, Pipi tilted his head and looked at me.
—I want something sweet too. Preferably something with lots of milk cream. It’s tastier than people. I don’t eat people anymore. Aska will scold me if I hunt secretly. My wings were broken last time. Chichi ate it too, but only I got caught. It’s annoying.
Was he always this talkative? Come to think of it, Pipi seemed to be constantly beeping when we were in Talim. That’s why Aska grabbed him, told him to be quiet, and threw him down quite a few times.
Anyway, I put aside my surprised feelings and opened my mouth.
“I’ll buy you a cake.”
—……?
Pipi looked surprised at my words. I wondered how I knew what a bird’s expression was, but I could just feel how incredibly surprised he was.
—Beep…… Beeing……
“……?”
—Beeeeeeeeing!
Pipi trembled as if he was having a seizure, then screamed like he had seen a ghost and flew away.
“……”
I was dumbfounded. No, shouldn’t I be the one who’s surprised?