Treatment
Treatment
Ian poured his strength into his arm.
He strained until his veins threatened to burst.
He drove every ounce of power into his sword, as if to crush Richard's heart.
He crammed in what remained of his mana and Authority too.
— Gurgle!
A grotesque noise escaped Richard's throat. His eyes stained black, like a demon's.
And then.
— Thud.
With a sound like something snapping, Richard stopped moving.
"Hah... hah..."
His ragged breath misted his vision white. Through it, he could see Richard's body curling away into blackness, just as the corpse that had once lived in his dantian had.
"..."
Ian stood there for a while, simply staring blankly. Maybe because he'd taken a direct hit from Richard, his head refused to function. Everything was hazy. Was that Sharon slumped against him? At least he wasn't cold. Her blood had soaked his entire body, keeping him warm.
— ...!
In the distance, figures came running. Enemies? Hm. He didn't think he could fight them right now.
He swayed. Through his blurring vision, a brilliant flash of golden hair caught his eye.
"...Asteria."
With her image fixed in his mind, Ian collapsed.
◆
"..."
His legs ached. Ian opened his eyes, feeling as though his legs, specifically, had been crushed under something. An unfamiliar white ceiling. He blinked a few times, then lowered his gaze.
— Ssaeak. Ssak.
— Nyom...
Rina and Danya. The two of them sat side-by-side in chairs beside the bed, each using one of Ian's legs as a pillow, fast asleep.
"...Are my legs your personal headrests?"
He let out a light sigh. A figure standing nearby approached.
"You're awake."
"...Karen."
"Her Highness is occupied with the aftermath, so I was keeping watch in her stead." She bowed her head deeply. "I apologize. Everyone involved in the tournament had vanished, and the Blood Rock cultists and assassins were closing in. I judged the situation was beyond my capacity."
Now that he thought about it, her assignment during the tournament had been to search the estate. That must be how she'd avoided getting swept into Richard's dantian and managed the situation.
"I escaped the estate and urgently requested support... I never imagined things would escalate to this extent. That you had been absorbed into Richard's dantian."
An excellent judgment call. If she'd tried to fight Richard, she would've just been another corpse next to the masked man.
"Not at all. You made the right call."
Various medical supplies surrounded the bed. She'd apparently requested reinforcements quite effectively.
"Anyway, my head's still a little foggy."
His head still ached. The aftermath of taking Richard's full-force blow was no joke.
"W-well, you were in an extremely serious state when you were found."
"Serious?"
"Physical trauma, nervous system damage from mana... Fortunately, a highly skilled priestess was present."
He really had nearly been turned into an idiot. Now he understood why Karen looked so guilty.
Ian flashed her a grin. "Sounds like you brought in an impressive priestess."
"Her Highness brought a priestess from the imperial court."
An imperial priestess. Then her skills were undoubtedly top-notch. Ian spoke to the fidgeting Karen. "Thank you, Karen. I'm alive thanks to you. If you hadn't reported the situation so quickly, Her Highness wouldn't have been able to respond in time either."
Karen, who had been biting her lip, bowed her head. "Thank you."
Before he could answer, the sound of firm footsteps echoed.
"So, you've come to your senses!"
A hearty shout announced Yergina, her body wrapped entirely in bandages. He'd lost consciousness around the same time as her—how did she look so much better?
"When you get wounded a lot, your body learns to recover faster. It's a form of training. What do you say, Ian? Care to roam the borderlands with me?"
"...I'll pass."
Sure enough, Yergina was a terrifying existence, whether you were close to her or not.
While Ian carefully moved Rina and Danya's heads from his legs onto the bed, Yergina spoke up.
"Ah—that reminds me."
"?"
"Sharon was crying beside you, and then she left. She said she couldn't bring herself to face you."
Ian blinked blankly for a moment.
"Indeed. Even I was shocked. Surviving in that condition. Imperial priests are truly different. To treat such severe wounds in an instant. Though they did say she needs to rest."
Well, the wounds were shocking, but what surprised Ian was something else entirely.
"...She cried? Sharon Pierce?"
"She was wailing."
"That's impossible..."
"Making a woman cry wherever you go. You are a sinful man, Ian."
...Sharon was the one with the sins. Still, that proud heroine actually cried? That was quite something. Truly, you never know what life will bring. Wait, on second thought, he hadn't lived that long yet.
"She kept muttering she was sorry, but once you showed signs of waking, she took only emergency treatment and left. She must have gone to find Asilia."
Ian looked out the window. A trail of blood leading north caught his eye. He stared for a moment, then jolted back to his senses.
"Ah. Right. My teacher."
Ian called to Karen, who was still standing there. "Karen, could you look for someone for me?"
"Who is it?"
"Up in the northern snowfields... hmm, how should I describe her? A beautiful person who looks around mid-twenties? Quite a large chest."
Karen's eyes narrowed. Realizing his mistake, Ian clarified. "A woman with long, deep blue hair and almost unnaturally pale skin. I don't know the exact location, but there's a massive frozen valley, and she's in a cave beyond it."
"I'll send people to search immediately."
Bob.
As Karen walked away, Yergina watched her back and asked, "You won't go look for her yourself?"
"In this injured state? I'd be useless. Even if I went, they'd find her first. I'm not even a tracking expert."
Yergina followed Ian's gaze out the window. The long streak of blood leading toward the snowfields was clearly visible. Sharon Pierce's blood.
"You really are..." Yergina chuckled. "...kind. And strong."
She murmured softly.
"Hm?"
"It's nothing." Ahem! Yergina suddenly cleared her throat.
"Anyway, much has changed while you were unconscious."
"Much?"
Ahem! Yergina cleared her throat once more and squared her shoulders with dignity.
"I am now the Grand Duke of the North."
"Congratulations, Grand Duke."
"That title feels a bit burdensome coming from you. More than anything, most of it was your achievement..."
Yergina scratched her cheek, then continued. "If it's you, I wouldn't mind if you called me Yergina."
"Using just your name feels a little too forward."
Hmm. Ian thought for a moment, then offered a suggestion. "Big Sis Yergina?"
"...."
Yergina's expression instantly stiffened. Had he overdone it?
"Are you angry?"
"Hoo. I'm not angry. I'm holding back."
Holding back what? Ian tilted his head, puzzled. Yergina swallowed hard and shook her head.
"There is much to do. I must keep my head straight."
The crimes Richard Pierce had committed were debts the Pierce family had to repay. Dealing with the aftermath would be no simple process. It was the task left to Yergina Pierce.
"...I'll need to have a child too."
"Right, it'll be tough... Wait. What?"
Ian was flustered by the new Grand Duke's abrupt declaration of conception.
"Didn't you know? The seat of House Richard's patriarch goes to the strongest child of the current patriarch."
"Well, yes, I know that, but..."
"In the end, if I don't give birth to a child, the family line ends. So I must have one."
"Ah. That's true, but... isn't there, like, a bit more romance involved?"
"Do you think such things exist in the North? I must return to the border soon, and I never know when I might die. It is best to give birth as soon as possible."
"Ah."
Come to think of it, that made sense. A high title like Grand Duke came with all sorts of political considerations. It sounded exhausting. But anyway, it was none of Ian's business. He gave a vague acknowledgment to Yergina's words.
"Since you're going ahead with it, I hope you get to meet your ideal type."
"My ideal type is the strongest person. For me, that is my romance."
"I see."
"So, if possible, I want to receive the seed of the strongest person."
"Shall I introduce you to someone? Haha."
Yergina grinned. "No need. But my ideal type has shifted slightly as of late. Because someone started wagging their tail at me."
"...?"
"The person who will become the strongest isn't a bad option either."
But, uh, why are you looking at me?
Under her bandages, Yergina's thighs tensed as if in anger.
"Now that I think of it, Ian."
"...Yes?"
"I remember it well. The first day we met, you confessed to me."
Ian's eyes darted around. He'd approached Yergina to encourage her, then confessed to escape a crisis—that was their first meeting. There was no way he'd forget.
Wearing a peculiar smile, Yergina stepped closer. "That, that was—"
"Surely you won't tell me it was a false confession? If so, you will pay a heavy price."
"N-no, it wasn't! It's just!"
"Then you must pay the price for wagging your tail at a woman."
Yergina shrugged off the outer garment draped over her. Her body, beautifully defined with wiry muscle that wasn't excessive, radiated a healthy allure... no, that wasn't the point!
"Li-Rina and Danya are right here!"
"They've collapsed from mana exhaustion. They won't wake easily after holding out so long."
Step. Step. Ian scooted backward across the bed.
— Slap. But his back cruelly met the wall. There was nowhere left to run. Yergina's face loomed right before his.
"Ian."
Her already red eyes were blazing with something—passion, lust, whatever it was.
'She's going to devour me.'
Cold sweat poured down Ian's forehead.
That moment.
— Emergency! Patient fever critical! Rapid fluid loss detected! Emergency!...
An artifact on the table blared noisily.
Yergina grinned. "The Third Princess is quite fond of you. To have prepared even an artifact like this. Her face was also quite a sight to behold. I imagine she has many things she wants to say."
With that, she rose from the bed. "The North will welcome you anytime. Let me know if you ever need help." The new Grand Duke of the North took her leave.
If I ever do miss this place, I'll come back when I'm a bit stronger. Ian swore that to himself. Because otherwise, it felt like he'd be eaten alive.