Chapter 43
Chapter 43
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: The Mixed-Bloods' Battlefield (7)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"...Uh, uhh, heuh...? The, Quartet of the Wind...?"
"Y-Yes.... That's right. It's that magic where two of the four incantations have been lost...."
"......"
"But it's okay! Lady Elena! We'll somehow use the remaining two incantations to stabilize the labyrinth's subspace...!"
"......"
Elena could no longer hear Elbano's words.
Her face went blank as she sank into thought.
'The Quartet of the Wind....'
In truth, Elena didn't care much about the lost magic.
It was the previous elders who had let it fade away.
Of course, if she could restore the great grandmaster's magic, Elena would gladly pour her efforts into it.
But the problem was that a mongrel knew it.
A mongrel knew magic that the elves had lost?
If word got out, there could be no greater humiliation.
On top of that, adding Elena's personal shame, she had decided to kill Gladiator Slave Number 17.
And yet.
That mongrel's magic had become the one solution guaranteeing her future.
"Right now...."
"Pardon...?"
"Send a messenger to the northern front immediately...!"
"A m-messenger, you say?"
Elena urgently issued orders to Elbano.
'I have to bring that mongrel back here...!!'
Full-focus magic could only transmit voices to targets within sight.
So the fastest way to bring the mongrel here right now.
"Ireila..., bring Ireila here!"
The mongrel had to be brought back from the battlefield.
If he died there.
Elena's grand dreams would shatter miserably.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I apparently lay there for a full day.
I had treated patients after breakfast the day before, and when I opened my eyes, it was around breakfast time again.
'Wow, time travel.'
This must be how it feels to pass out after chugging unfamiliar booze.
The good news was that my body felt normal.
Probably because auto-healing fixed the damage while I was out.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Ancestor 'Eternal Teacher of the Fairies' rejoices at your awakening! I sat up, seeing the familiar message.
I'd been lying on a simple cot.
The bed where the critical patient I'd treated yesterday had been.
"Ah! You're awake!"
"...Yeah."
"How's your body? Everyone was worried."
"You're...."
"I'm Downer, the one you treated yesterday, sir."
Now that he mentioned it, he looked familiar.
Apparently, after I healed him, he'd taken care of me when I collapsed instead.
"Ooh! Newbie! You're up? How you feeling?"
"Ah, Captain. I'm fine."
"Fine...? Hoo..., after puking up all that blood..., your color's good, though. What the hell's your body made of?"
He wouldn't know about auto-healing, so to others, I must look like a freak who beat a deadly illness in a day.
"Guess I got some good blood mixed in."
"Mongrels vary, huh."
I brushed it off vaguely, and Karloph nodded along reasonably.
This is convenient about being a mongrel. Easy to gloss over things.
"More importantly, the next patient."
"What? Patient?"
"The next one for me to heal."
I got up from the cot and looked around.
There had definitely been three critical patients here yesterday.
I'd treated two, so one should be left.
"W-Wait a sec, Newbie! Forgot how you collapsed yesterday?! Treatment right after waking up?!"
"...I'm fine. Aren't the critical patients more urgent?"
"......"
Karloph, who had tried to stop me, shut his mouth at my words.
Taking that as agreement, I turned to Downer.
"So, where is he? The last one left yesterday."
"Ah, well...."
"Don't worry about me. I'm fine."
"No, it's not that...."
Downer awkwardly averted his eyes.
It didn't look like he was worried about my condition.
And soon, he explained why he'd hesitated.
"That guy... couldn't hold on and passed at dawn yesterday."
"Ah...."
"......"
"......"
Silence hung inside the tent.
I see....
That person died.
"......"
We hadn't even talked.
I didn't even know who he was.
'I could have saved him....'
There had clearly been a chance to save one of my own kind.
The fact that I'd missed it made a corner of my heart ache.
Was I always this selfless?
No, this was normal emotion.
The most ordinary guilt anyone in my position would feel.
"D-Don't let it get to you! Sir! If not for you, Downer and Rail would've died soon too...! You're our lifesaver!"
"......"
"Yeah, Newbie. Don't get down. You weren't responsible for healing them anyway. If blame..., it's on me, captain of the 2nd Scout Unit."
"......"
I knew that.
It just hit home now.
This is war.
Hell where lives turn to dust.
'No, snap out of it. Not time to get sentimental.'
I'll survive.
And to do that, there's no answer but ending this war as fast as possible.
So I just have to do what I need to right now.
"Where's the next patient."
"What...?"
I asked Karloph, who had his head down with a dark face.
"Among our unit, anyone needing treatment. Guide the most urgent to me first. I'll heal them."
"Newbie, you...."
"Sir...."
The two looked at me with eyes like they were seeing something not human.
What were they thinking?
For a moment, I sensed awe in their gazes.
...I'd rather they didn't.
I'm not healing people out of pure kindness.
"Alright, if that's your will. This way."
"Yes."
I followed Karloph.
No knowing when the next battle is, so strengthen the unit's combat power as fast as possible, even a day sooner.
Treating patients was top priority for that.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Karloph gathered patients.
Conveniently breakfast time, so people were gathered, making it easy to find them.
"Hey! Cream!"
"Yes? Ah, yes! Captain!"
"Over here!"
Thump, thump.
A man with bandages on his head and chest, splint on his right leg, limped over at Karloph's call.
And below his ankle splint, it was empty.
Ankles and feet severed.
'He's the most serious among remaining patients now....'
I wonder if even Cream can heal this.
Karloph was worried more about Number 17 than Cream, inwardly.
'He puked blood like mad after healing two yesterday....'
Cream wasn't that critical, but an amputee.
Could Number 17 even heal missing body parts with magic?
And if so, would his own body hold up?
"Nngh...."
Karloph agonized if this was right, but still guided Cream to Number 17.
"Captain, what the hell...."
"Treatment."
"Huh? Treatment? What do you mean?"
"Just watch."
Amputee Cream stood straight before Number 17 on crutches.
Number 17 knelt on one knee before him and took a deep breath.
'Normal to hesitate.'
Karloph noted Number 17's scared face.
He must feel pain healing people, and fears it.
Then why heal anyway?
'The more I know, the deeper he is....'
Karloph couldn't understand but looked at Number 17 with respect.
And soldiers gathered behind Karloph.
Mongrel soldiers come to watch after Karloph called Cream.
"What's up, Captain?"
"Why's Cream standing and the newbie kneeling?"
"What's going on?"
Confused soldiers muttered, eyeing Cream and Number 17.
Karloph didn't explain.
They'd understand soon anyway.
"Hoo...."
And.
Number 17 placed his hand on Cream's leg.
'This'll be tough....'
Shoooo....
"O, ooh...! Light...!"
"Magic?! From that mongrel newbie?!"
"Healing magic?!"
——Fwaaaah!
From where the mongrel's hand touched, soft light grew stronger.
The onlookers felt warm heat from the light pouring from Cream's leg.
And soon.
Fwaaaah...!
The light shrank and faded.
Beneath Number 17's hand, where the light vanished.
Cream's missing left foot had regrown perfectly.
"Wooooah——!!!"
"Cream's foot grew back!!"
"T-This is healing magic?!"
"Never heard even elves can do this...!!"
People shouted in shock.
A miracle had happened before their eyes.
And the one who worked it was a mongrel like them, which shocked them more.
Then.
"L-Look there! The newbie's body...!"
"Uh-oh...!"
Fwaaaah....
"Urk..., hngh...."
Soft light enveloped Number 17 as he groaned in pain.
"That light...."
"Is he... really human...?"
The sight was so noble it stirred faith in those watching.
"Never knew a mongrel could do this...."
"Is he really a mongrel...?"
"Maybe a divine messenger from the heavens?"
"Yeah, now that you mention, wings behind him...?"
"Wings? Yeah, definitely...!"
With the noble light, pure white wings unfurled behind Number 17.
The soft light around him grew gently.
Were those wings an illusion?
Were they seeing him as an angel in their awe?
People gaped blankly at Number 17 in shock.
And.
"Number 17, what're you doing? Practicing magic?"
"...What, why're you here."
"Lady Elena's errand."
Those wings were real, not illusion.
An elf girl with wings peeked from behind Number 17.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Return...?"
"Yeah, that's why I'm here. Lady Elena says return."
"Me?"
"Yep."
Ireila suddenly appeared behind me while treating a patient.
I'd wondered why regenerating an ankle didn't hurt much.
She'd infused me with mana to assist auto-healing.
Thanks to that, but I was more puzzled.
"Why? I haven't even been here a week."
"Dunno. Just said bring you quick."
"......"
"Let's go?"
Ireila offered her hand.
I stared at it, thinking.
'That elf bitch sent me here to die....'
Now suddenly wants me back.
Change of heart?
No way.
Something happened.
Something important enough to recall me, whom she desperately wanted dead.
"......"
And at the same time, I recalled Elena's future I'd seen recently.
Kneeling before me, begging to teach her the Quartet of the Wind.
"Aha..., so that's it."
"Huh? What?"
"Nah, nothing."
"Okay? Then hurry. Lady Elena said it's urgent."
Ireila grabbed my hand casually.
But I didn't budge.
"Sorry, but returning's tough."
"Huh? Why?"
"......Can't leave my comrades."
"......Comrades?"
Ireila glanced at the mongrel soldiers behind me.
"Because of those mongrels...?"
"Yeah, so sorry, tell Lady Elena that."
"......"
Slip.
Ireila let go gently and asked again.
"Really..., can't leave those mongrels?"
"Yeah."
Of course not.
'Sweat a little..., you elf bitch....'
The reason Elena wants me so urgently is probably the lost Quartet of the Wind.
Then she'd hate me dying badly.
And hate me staying on this battlefield even more.
So.
I had zero intention of going back as she wished.
"Even if I die, I'll die here with my comrades, live with them too. Can you tell her that?"