Chapter 39
Ah... ugh...!! Swueueueup...
I let out a pained groan, furrowing my brows and clenching my fists.
'It was supposed to sting a little. Ten minutes, they said.'
I bit down on the swueueup sound and the groans.
There was no clock in the room, so I just kept letting out those pained sounds and sweating buckets.
"Please hold on."
In this village, if you complain about pain, they don't give you a gentle treatment; they just say "hold on."
And after that, the pain on my left shoulder continued for a while.
Only after my entire body was drenched in sweat did the pain finally subside.
"You've worked hard. I had to extract and purify any remaining Magi as well."
"...Thank you for your hard work. Honestly, it was so painful I thought I was going to die."
"Isn't it better to be in pain now than to be in even more pain later?"
Even though I didn't want to be in pain, rolling around on the battlefield, no matter how much I endured, I never got used to it.
When it's on the battlefield or in an urgent situation, maybe not. But in this peaceful environment, the only thing I can focus on is the pain itself, so it gets hammered even deeper into my mind.
"Anyway, since you're better now, I'll be going."
"Thank you for your assistance."
The healing mage summoned from the Lagrange family finished treating me and left.
The family's maids wrapped my shoulder neatly in clean bandages, wiped my body with damp towels, and helped me put on my shirt again.
It was still embarrassing, but what could I do?
It wasn't as painful as I thought because I was in a hurry with Yuria, but now moving my shoulder felt like needles poking into it.
So I had to have the maids help me get dressed.
'It says we depart tomorrow morning...'
Days passed. I started calculating one by one with my fingers.
Taking the departure day into account, it was four days.
In those four days, so many things happened.
I rushed to find Daelk's house somehow.
I sneaked into the basement of the tower and fought a golem.
In the end, what I feared happened, and I fought for my life against a demon.
Life was twisted. No, at least this year, my life wasn't what it should have been.
It felt like someone had cursed me with a cursed doll, making this year truly eventful.
'Still, how did I even get the Megirurun.'
I stuffed the Megirurun reasonably into the inner pocket of my cloak.
I'd told the servants of this estate not to touch my things, so no one would touch it.
The only worry was whether the Megirurun was still intact and undamaged until I could give it to Professor Remediela.
At that moment, a knock sounded from behind.
"Yes?"
When I answered, the head of the Lagrange family, Lord Blake, and Daelk entered the room.
Daelk was also bandaged in places. He must have been injured more than he looked.
"Miss Lir, are you feeling better?"
"No, my shoulder hurts so much I want to lie down, and every joint in my body aches."
"...I can't say that."
"Thanks to you, you've improved a lot. Thank you very much."
"It's nothing. I should be the one thanking you. If it weren't for Miss Lir, you might have been buried under the rubble of Ebonic Tower by now."
If I hadn't been there.
Even if monsters and golems were rushing at him, with demons joining in too, it would have been too much.
Before the mages could prepare, Daelk would have fallen.
And no matter what scenario followed, it would have been massacred.
"What about Ebonic Tower?"
"Left to the kingdom army. They judged that internal cleanup is impossible, and the kingdom won't let this incident go unaddressed."
Indeed, looking back, it was a costly move trying to get something from the demons.
It was already causing headaches for the kingdom on the front lines.
"Probably, the vice-tower master of Meklen will never live as a human again in the kingdom's underground prison."
"Too much ambition."
Frustrating. Why didn't he know the danger?
The moment I heard "Meklen," I continued talking out of sheer frustration.
"Why didn't you know it was dangerous? You didn't even know properly. Is it mage arrogance or pride?"
Lord Blake met my gaze.
"So, the kingdom and knights should be checking them. Not because they're mages, but because, as humans, those who reach for the unknown are everywhere. As you said, they don't even know how dangerous it is."
"This incident will lead to investigations into the towers and various mage groups. Such things shouldn't happen in the future. Therefore, they should warn and monitor to prevent recurrence. Isn't that the duty of a knight?"
After saying that, Lord Blake glanced slightly toward the window.
"You've been through a lot of hardships since you returned, Miss Lir."
"...Yes, that's right."
"That said, you shouldn't be lost in the hardships. Leave the past as it is and look to the future. It must never be twisted."
"Lost in hardships..."
Maybe. Since my grandfather Buelant died, everything started falling apart.
"My story ends here. It seems Daelk has something to say."
Lord Blake leaned on his staff and left the room.
I briefly thought about what he said, then turned my gaze to Daelk looking at me.
"What do you have to say?"
When I got closer, I saw quite a few scars on his abdomen, arms, and shoulders.
Of course, they were all covered with bandages, so I couldn't compare the wounds directly, but the visible ones were far more than mine.
Daelk's expression looked complicated.
That made sense. Even if he'd grown up as a knight, how many times had he seen people die or guts spilling out?
If he was a young noble from a prestigious family, he might have been pampered even if he held a sword.
After weighing something for a long time in front of me, Daelk slowly opened his mouth.
"You hid your strength?"
"...Huh?"
I was a little surprised.
Thinking something insignificant like that and putting on such a serious face?
"I didn't really hide it."
"The duel with Ferdan was completely different. I sensed from your icy atmosphere that it was nothing like before."
That's what I thought too.
I wasn't planning to fight them to the death. Fighting demons was a matter of life and death, so I had to win by any means.
Moreover, unlike with students, I had all the techniques and skills, and my body was the only thing I needed to adapt to. It was natural for my growth trajectory to look different.
"That's my current power. Because I lived in a different environment, it's only natural that I'm ahead."
"In what kind of environment did you live?"
Looking at Daelk, who had a subtly unhappy expression, I was momentarily dumbfounded.
Ah, this guy is crazy about combat. No need for anything else, I was sure he was a maniac focused on strength.
"When you were holding a spear here, I was stabbing demon heads with spears."
"You lived near the border?"
"That doesn't matter. At least, I can confidently say that the days when you had a weapon were more than mine."
In other words, you should understand that you can't catch up because of the skill gap. It's obvious.
I said it in a subtle way to convey that meaning.
"...That makes sense. In battle, real combat is important."
"So, of course. Don't be discouraged. You have a body more suited for fighting than me, so you'll overtake me in a few years."
Of course, it was just empty words.
I have my pride. I won't let myself be caught up by him in a few years.
No matter how slender my body is and how sturdy Daelk's is.
Still, I have the experience. Whether my body returns to normal or not, I won't let him overtake me.
"Anyway, work hard."
I looked at him.
Looking at his own calloused hands, he clenched his fists and nodded.
After that, the next morning. I returned to the capital.
It was said that it would take some time until my arms healed.
***
Ebonic Tower.
Days had passed since the series of events.
Many kingdom soldiers were investigating inside, and the internal cleanup was roughly in progress.
The busy soldiers stiffened their expressions when someone entered the tower.
"O-Oh, you're here!!"
Holding their spears, they raised their voices in unison for salutation. Their expressions had more than just the solemnity of subordinates.
Everyone looked fearful and reverent. Without a word, the tall man with dark hair entered the infirmary.
"......?"
The vice-tower master of Ebonic Tower, Findel Meklen, stared at the man standing in front of him.
"Is it him?"
"Yes, yes!"
Slap. The soldier beside him handed over a document, and Meklen read it and handed it back.
Meklen had a curious look, but after seeing the man's appearance, his expression soon turned deathly pale.
"Royal Guard...?!
"Findel Meklen's whereabouts will be handled by the Royal Guard."
"H-Huh, but in the kingdom army..."
The soldiers opened their mouths at the Royal Guard taking him away, but the man stared at them with sharp eyes, and they had no choice but to close their mouths.
"Where is the remaining Megirurun?"
"It's in the warehouse on the lowest floor!"
Immediately, the man went to the lowest floor.
The commander leading the kingdom army bowed to him.
"O-Oh, you're here!"
"The remaining Megirurun?"
The commander tried not to look him in the eye and handed him the documents he'd prepared.
The man's hand flipping through the papers stopped at one point.
"The number in the existing documents doesn't match the inventory here. There's something missing."
"Ah, yes. We've identified the location of the missing Megirurun."
The man, who had quietly read the documents to the end, shifted his gaze toward the boxes piled up in front of him.
"...Since it's stained with demon blood, it must be found."