Chapter 52: Merleen, Fenrir, and Arthur (2)

I placed Arthur's body at the side and wiped the tears cascading from my eyes. My heart ached as if a thousand needles rested upon my arteries. The sensation had an inkling comparison when I lost my parents with my own hands.

I did not want to lose someone dear to me all over again… My body and mind did not allow me to feel the unbearable pain for the third time.

My eyes wandered to Arthur, slumbering without a care in this world. However, despite his silent rest, his left hand quivered in fright… Every time he took a deep inhale, Arthur's left part would jerk, with a puddle of crimson liquid forming beside me.

All I cared about right now was to fix Arthur's amputated left arm from bleeding out.

"A-Arthur! G-Get a hold of yourself! Be strong for me... Don't leave me... You're the only one I have... You're the only one who believes in me," I cried, but the words never reached Arthur's ears.

I recalled that there was a spell that mages used to heal one's wound. I only heard that information from other court magicians who visited our village.

However, those wizards never told me anything about that ability. They only showed it to us, but never explained it to the villagers.

Since none of them had any aptitude for casting magic, those mages thought it would be a waste of time to teach us everything. And now that I thought about it, that happening was my only chance to heal Arthur back.

I was no sorcerer for using my spells besides light. Considering my trauma still eating away from my mind, I never explored the depths of my magic.

Those court magicians called me a genius… But how far could my magic reach new heights when I needed it the most?

I continued pondering some combinations of spells inside my head, wishing that some of my theories could prove it right. There were tons of solutions out there I had yet explored, but I only had a few minutes to help Arthur's dying body.

However, these nine mercenaries hindered me from helping Arthur. If I turned my back behind, those people would strike me without holding back... That event also happened when the soldiers also visited our village.

These Mercenaries also demonstrated their sinister desires when they fought Arthur. Since I killed their leader, the wizard in front would seek her revenge.

"Leave us alone before I could kill you…," I warned the nine mercenaries, but my voice never reached their minds.

It even added fuel to the fire as the temporary leader cast a brilliant pillar of flames in my direction. That girl aimed for the kill, as the blaze burned everything. It even kindles the green grass on the ground, turning them into nothing but charcoal.

But I also had some tricks hidden behind my sleeve and used my light to travel to a different place. Although the amount of arcane I used with this spell drained my spiritual magic, I placed Arthur in a safer area, away from the battlefield.

"I will always save for you, Arthur," I whispered, and nestled his head on the ground.

I saved this man twice after meeting him. The world worked wonders when fate let me meet Arthur. He was the one who told me I should use my powers for good. Arthur also explained that I was not the monster that the village thought of me before.

"I was the one who used magic to save you... I'm not useless… I am not useless! I am also a hero to Arthur!"

My line of thought got disrupted by another set of spells coming from my front. Those abilities had devastating power into it, imbued with the raw emotions coming from the girl. And she was not the only person who fired those magic skills. Some of the leader's teammates had peculiar classes of sorcerers that amplified the arcanic attack.

"You took my lover away from me! I will let you pay!" the girl screamed an inhumane wail, creating a sonic blast that thrust into the nearby trees.

That mage even continued firing her spells in my direction, giving no consideration to the place.

"Annis, please stop it!" A member of the mercenary group cried out.

But the girl, Annis, did not hear his words and kept discharging her spell.

"The last time you said anything, you kept calling yourself Merleen… It was a funny scene, not until you killed my lover! Fine! I will remember that name!" the girl launched another colossal fireball in my direction.

It was what the girl had mentioned. Right after leaving my town, I kept calling myself "Merleen" instead of using the words "I and me". Since then, every time I included myself in a conversation, all the villager's death came to light, haunting me for life.

Despite hearing the town's awful cries, I could only cover my ears. Those sounds always get me every time I sleep.

But in this fight, I finally used the word "I" in my sentence. I found my resolve and confidence to speak for myself, regardless of the past. Even though it happened, I would use those memories as my guide, so none of the children could also experience my pain.

"It's all thanks to Arthur," I murmured, while preparing another magic circle around Arthur and me.

But because of the forest's power, it consumed the intense arcane and turned it back to the attacker. This forest hindered anyone from firing a powerful spell. As soon as nature saw an opening, it took the fireball away and wreaked havoc across the place.

Thanks to the environment I found, the magic never reached our direction. Instead, the fire that the mage caused backfired on her as the trees crumbled and fell to her side.

"Everyone, get back!" the mage girl shouted, but it was too late.

The trees already fell in their direction, claiming the lives of two of her teammates. It was not the end, as the trees destroyed the entire ground, leaving cracks heading underground. The height of the abyss reached around thousands of feet just by looking at the terrain.

I could barely see the ground from the shadowy shape of the bottomless pit.

All of this happened so fast that the temporary leader and her team. And I went separate ways. I used my light ability once more and transferred to a different place. I never caught sight of the mercenaries again.

But those people were the least of my worries. Right now, all the moving that I did to Arthur endangered his life as I witnessed his body bleed more blood. It was a matter of time before Arthur would die because of a lack of medical attention.

"A-Arthur! Hang in there! I-I will save you!"

I did not care about the falling branches coming from the trees. I did not give a damn about the ground splitting open. As long as I could use my magic to heal Arthur, it would become all good for me. I would gladly die to save others.

Arthur wanted to become a hero… For once, I too yearned to save someone else.

"I have to do this… I need to! I need to save Arthur!" I shouted, while using the magic circle I readied earlier.

That spell used all of my arcane. But I knew it would be worth it, considering the effort I placed to make this work.

The only thing I needed to do was simple. I needed to mimic the steps that the court magicians did when they performed the ritual. Although I did not have a perfect photographic memory, trusting my guts was the only option I could use right now.

I twirled my hands and mumbled the words I remembered from that scene. The memories of my past became clouded with regret. But I pushed those pessimistic thoughts aside and pestered my brain to save Arthur.

"I need to do this! A-Arthur needs me!"

A bucket of sweats showered my body as I continued concentrating on the spell in front of me. I knew that a cut left arm would never regrow. But I wanted to make a bet against all odds placed upon me.

"If I lose right now, Arthur will die! If I make this happen…!"

Before I could even express my voice, a blaring blast pushed me backwards, rendering me close to unconscious. The only thing that kept me awake was my golden heart of never giving up to save someone close to me.

However, despite my efforts, the world's force pushed me downwards into the bottomless pit. Arthur, who slept at the side, got washed up by the landslide as well.

"So, this is it for me?" I pondered, while watching the scene unfold before my eyes.

Something went wrong when I used my magic. I did not know any magic that could heal Arthur's wounds. And that ignorance of mine cost Arthur his life…

When I thought it was the tale's end for the two of us, a shadowy figure emerged from the cliff, dragging my body upwards across the sky. Right beside me was the sleeping Arthur, latching onto the paws of a noir wolf.