Temporary Alliance
"Hwaaah!! It hurts, Lily! It hurts, I said! Kaeng!"
"If you do not stay still, it will hurt even more, Lady Garam. I must ask you to remain still."
"But how am I supposed to stay still when it hurts this much! Kyaang!!"
Once the battle ended, Lily set her mace aside and returned to her original position. She gathered pure white holy power in both hands and gently stroked Garam's neck. Every time she did, Garam screamed and wailed about the pain. She was not usually one to exaggerate, so the fact that she was reacting this badly meant it truly hurt a great deal. Of course, from Jenia's perspective, it probably did not look that way at all.
"Your dramatics are disgusting. Why not quit being the senior disciple while you're at it? I could do a much better job."
"What? Have you said your last words—Kaeng!! Ow, it hurts!!"
"If you do not stay still, it will hurt even more. Please remain still."
"See? Even Lily is telling you to stay still."
"Lady Jenia. I would appreciate it if you remained quiet as well. I cannot concentrate."
"Ah… Sorry, Lily."
Still, Lily was undeniably a model disciple. Even though she was the sixth and youngest among the disciples, she showed no hesitation when dealing with her seniors. It was almost like watching a cold, professional physician at work.
"Lily. How long do you think it will take to heal Garam?"
"…I am sorry, but I do not know, Master. Under normal circumstances, she should have recovered long ago."
I nodded at Lily's answer. Thanks to Iris's memories, I already had a rough idea of the situation. Perhaps it was because of the position that sought to devour the world. The Fragment of the Demon God was a threat even to the Heroes. It was a wound that even Lily Hyacinth, the Holy Hero, could not fully heal with her power. That was why the Heroes who had been struck by those creatures in Iris's memories had been forced out of the front lines for a while.
"How are you feeling now, Lady Garam?"
"A little better than before. Breathing is still a bit difficult, though."
"Hmm. It seems we will need to continue regular healing sessions like this for a while."
"Then what about the fighting? Do I have to keep fighting with the wound like this?"
"To be honest, it would be best if you rested for a while."
At that, Garam made a sulky face and cried, "That can't be!" She had grown fond of battle, even if not quite to Iris's level. On top of that, resting meant allowing Jenia to overtake her. Apparently, the two of them had been competing nonstop for achievements and fame. The Sword Hero and Sword Emperor's name still held more prestige for now, but if Garam rested, the Spear Hero and Spear King's reputation would naturally rise.
"…Why did I have to get caught so stupidly?"
However, rather than the chance to surpass Garam, Jenia seemed more preoccupied with worrying about Garam, who kept groaning in discomfort. Even though the two bickered and fought every single day, whenever one of them got hurt or found themselves in trouble, they would suddenly start glancing at each other with concern.
"Why not just quit being a Hero? If you get caught that easily, what's the point?"
Of course, that did not mean they were actually comforting each other's mistakes or wounds. They worried, but never said anything kind. How should I put it? It felt like watching a pair of sisters born in the same year.
"…You really want to die, don't you, Jenia?"
"Oh my, is that so? Heal your neck first and then challenge me. If we fight now, you'll just make up some weird excuse about not being able to use your full strength because of your injuries."
"Someone like you, I could beat even with this wound—Kaeng!!"
Garam's words were cut off by a scream. Lily had poked the injured area as if to say, "Don't say such nonsense." Thanks to that, Jenia burst out laughing while Garam fumed and told her to stop laughing. Lily warned the two seniors in a stern tone to behave themselves. Watching the three disciples together was chaotic, but oddly pleasant.
Shuuu… A gentle breeze brushed against my cheek. It was not a natural wind. It was entirely artificial. I glanced to the side and saw that Master, who had been sitting in meditation, was now slightly floating in the air. That single strike had defied the laws of the world and even managed to wound the Fragment of the Demon God. To achieve that, Master had exhausted all of her inner energy and entered a state of energy circulation. She had entrusted me with the role of guardian during that time.
The once-empty energy within Master now surged like a vast ocean. The fullness I felt meant that the Heavenly Demon I knew had finally returned.
"…Hyeon-ah."
The energy circulation must have ended. Master called out to me. She was still seated in meditation, but her tightly closed eyes had opened. It was the same powerful, dignified, and beautiful figure I remembered.
"How much time has passed?"
"About thirty minutes."
"So one hour has gone by. It took longer than I expected. I thought one quarter-hour would suffice."
I was worried about the situation at the Royal Capital, where the battle was still raging. However, Master was nearly exhausted, and Garam needed immediate treatment. Lily had to heal Garam, and Jenia was also quite fatigued. I myself had used far more techniques than expected and had depleted a significant amount of my inner energy. If we headed to the battlefield in our current state, we would only get in the way. With that conclusion, we decided to stay here a little longer and rest.
"Should we not head there quickly?"
"We will stay a bit longer before going. Garam's condition is still not good."
"Tsk. That strange creature was stronger than I thought."
"It is the Enemy's Will that seeks to consume this world, after all."
"Then what did you do with the object that appeared after that thing disappeared?"
I answered that I was keeping it for now. The disciples were all busy resting or handling their own tasks, and I could not leave it beside Master while she was in energy circulation.
"It seemed like an ominous object. Would it not be better to simply destroy it?"
"I tried to, but neither Jenia nor Lily could do anything about it. Not physically, and not even with Lily's holy power. Nothing worked."
After the Fragment of the Demon God's head had been split open and reduced to a handful of ash, a strange orb had been left behind where it had stood. It was a rather odd comparison, but if I had to describe it, it was like a bizarre bead with dark energy swirling inside, or perhaps a water ball filled with black ink. At first, I had kept the disciples at a distance, suspecting it might be a final trap left by the creature. The malevolent energy radiating from it made that suspicion natural. I had worried that if someone carelessly touched it, it might latch onto them. However, even after time passed, nothing happened. It simply remained quiet. Unable to leave it alone, I prepared myself thoroughly and touched it, but nothing occurred. There was no sign of anything trying to invade from within. It seemed the orb was merely a trace left behind after the Fragment of the Demon God had vanished.
"What do you intend to do? You said it is not wise to carry around something that belongs to the Enemy."
"I agree with you completely, Master. However, I believe we need to understand exactly what it is first. After that, destroying it would not be a bad idea."
"If that is your will, then do so. I have no intention of interfering any further."
After saying that, Master slowly rose to her feet. At a glance, she looked as unshakable as a mountain, just like always. But she had poured out all of her inner energy to unleash that technique, so the aftereffects would still remain. No matter how much energy circulation she performed, the shock would not fade so easily. I knew that better than anyone, having done the same thing many times in the past.
"Jenia."
"Yes, Master!"
"Carry Garam."
"…Pardon?"
"Carry Garam and head to the Royal Capital immediately. We cannot afford any more delays."
"I completely agree with Master's words! But… do I really have to carry Garam? Lily is here too… If I carry her, we'll definitely end up fighting again… And Garam probably won't want to be carried either."
They were not mere excuses. They were quite reasonable. Even Garam was making a face that said, "You want me to be carried by her?!" Lily, who knew the two of them well, had already quickly prepared to carry Garam herself. However, I shook my head firmly, indicating that it would not do. After all, even after arriving at the Royal Capital, Garam would not be sent straight into the front lines. The same went for Jenia. Unless it was an emergency, the two of them would be on standby in the second line. They were clearly exhausted from fighting the Fragment of the Demon God, even if they pretended otherwise. In contrast, Lily might not be thrown into combat, but she would immediately have to deploy barriers and perform healing. There would be a mountain of tasks waiting for her the moment we arrived. For that reason, I could not burden Lily with something that would double her physical exhaustion. Therefore, it was only right for Jenia to carry Garam to the Royal Capital.
"Are you planning to head to the Royal Capital now?"
"Yes, Master."
"Very well. Then let us depart at once. The situation there may be just as dire as it was here—Hwaak?!"
I thought I heard an incredibly cute scream just now. Since I was the one who caused it, it was probably best to pretend I did not notice.
"W-What do you think you are doing! Y-You insolent fool! Put me down this instant!"
Master struggled in my arms and shouted loudly. It was understandable that she was flustered, since I had suddenly picked her up without warning. However, I had a perfectly valid reason for doing so.
"You are not in perfect condition yet, Master. Do not even think about deceiving me."
"Deceive you?! This Lord is perfectly fine! I could defeat someone of your level right now!"
"Then can you unleash that technique from earlier once more?"
"That is…"
"See? You cannot answer right away."
Just because she had performed some energy circulation did not mean she had returned to her original state. The depleted areas had been refilled, but they had not yet reached their original levels.
"Recover a little more while we travel. I am not doing this for no reason. In the worst case, we might have to fight another battle like the one earlier at the Royal Capital. If that happens, you may have to take the place of my disciples and fight."
"Those insignificant creatures are nothing! There is no need for this!"
"Yes, yes. You can scold me later, so just stay still for now. You will fall."
As I prepared to carry Master and head to the Royal Capital, I felt strange gazes from somewhere and turned my head to the side.
"…"
"…"
There stood Jenia carrying Garam, and Garam riding on Jenia's back. Both of them were looking at me with indescribable expressions. Master must have noticed their gazes as well. The person who had been making a fuss about being put down suddenly fell silent.
"Ahem. Did you not say we were late? Let us go quickly."
"Ah, yes."
Just as I was about to use my lightness skill, I clearly heard Garam and Jenia whispering behind me.
"…Temporary alliance?"
"…Temporary alliance."