Chapter 32 - A Peaceful Last Leg

The next seven days of travel were relatively calm.

The road that we're following is nice and smooth, with a calm and almost tranquil forest surrounding us. For food, I had to hunt alone. Due to the lack of Surge's insane senses, hunting for food took longer and required more output on my end.

For the most part, bottom-tier spells were enough to take out the boar-like creatures that I target for food. Sure, I could kill any monster and eat it, but the boar creatures are both the easiest and tastiest.

However, even with the minimal effort required to kill one or two boars, the pain from my hands was still immense. It felt akin to sticking my hands in a fire every time I used mana.

"I thought you said this would fix itself" I grumbled to Teresa as I lit our evening campfire.

Traveling with the princess was a bit different from Surge, given the fact she was royalty and not my family.

Instead of a warm box that was cheap on mana and easy to create, I instead had to construct an earthen dome with pinholes in the top half of it for airflow. The dome was near twice the size of the Hotbox, and afterward, I would have to light a campfire in the center of it for food and warmth.

"Normally you have experienced at least a decrease in symptoms, it's strange that even after six days your pain remains the same. I've seen all of the magic you're using, it's not as if you're casting anything absurd. Even if you are omitting the incantations, I can't imagine that costing any additional mana." Teresa pondered, once again getting too close for comfort to inspect my hands and arms.

At this point, I've accepted that this is how she is, but it's still unnerving.

Actually, does my method of casting increase the mana cost at all? It's not as if I'm creating anything different, fundamentally to cast silently all I do is change spells around.

It's like having an essay format, but each time filling it with different information. Sure, sometimes I'll make a spell faster, or sharper, denser, etc. but it's not as if I'm doing anything crazy.

For example, instead of using the plebeio tier water spell 'Ice Hurl', I'll make a small cone of ice, as opposed to its normal shape of a ball. The size and speed stay the same, I just change how it looks.

"Well, is there any way to cure this outside of just waiting?" I say, slowly rotating the boar meat. It was tough and pretty bitter, but it was food.

"None that I have any knowledge of. That being said, I've never heard of a case where the skin of a patient turns such a ghastly white." She says, slumping back and sighing. Apparently, before entering the battle for the throne, Teresa had been a decently prestigious healer. She would tend to the injures of her family, even as going as far as becoming one of the few Healing Legates.

However, due to her new aim of the throne, her abilities as a mage and healer have gone unpolished.

By the sound of things, my arms are never going to heal unless I stop using magic for a while. But I can't stop using magic since we're not into town yet, and even once we reach town I'll need to use magic to make money and join the adventurers union.

"That's a bit rude. I wouldn't consider it ghastly white, just like, normal amount of white." That being said, I've yet to see a person who could even be called 'pale' in this world. Maybe it's just the environment I was in. I never left the manor and then lived in a demon village, so it wouldn't be too strange if I'm making too brash of a call.

"I'm sorry if that hurt your feelings, but it's just true. The skin on your arms and hands is now almost as white as snow, even paler than those living in the northern countries." Teresa said, her tone growing ever more filled with confusion and intrigue.

"No, it's alright," I mutter, taking the cooked boar off the fire and dividing it evenly.

God, I wish I had anything but this. This roasted pork can barely be called food, it's not evenly cooked, it has no seasoning, and the boar is years old at this point so the tender juicy meat is all but bunk. I really miss-

No. I can't think like that. This is my life now, and if I want a taste of home I'll have to make it myself.

I abandoned that life, and that's that.

"You've seemed strangely upset whenever we eat Aiver Boars, yet you'll happily chow down on most other monster meat. Is there something that bothers you about killing these specific monsters?" Teresa asks, out of seemingly genuine compassion.

"No, just reminds me of home," I reply in a melancholy tone I was not expecting. I mean, it is true. Pork dishes always made their way onto the table somehow back in Sorano.

But do I really miss the food from home? No, not really.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I finish my Aiver Boar and lay down on my side of the dome.

By this time tomorrow, we would have entered the city walls and I might have even been registered with the Union by now. Instead, we're gonna have to rough it out for a few more days.

Laying on my back, it almost feels as if I'm forgetting something.

Oh, I'm sure it's nothing in particular.

--- Point of View: Gust Renarus ---

Darkness.

When I awoke, all I could see, all I could hear, and all I could experience was the cold darkness.

However, after what feels like ages within this cold abyss, I began to recall everything from that night.

It was horrible, waves and waves of monsters, with rankings from C to A, were flooding toward the village. I assumed it was some freak of nature, an AA-rank, or even an S-ranked monster controlling all of them. But our forwards could never hope to find the controller.

Then, when all hope seemed lost, we spotted them.

It was a group of vermins, obviously having kited the monster hoard to our village in order to destroy us and clean up the survivors. I had no idea what their true aim was, but that didn't matter.

As long as we could take out those ants, the village would be safe.

I'd refrained from referring to humans as below us for as long as possible, not wanting to hurt Antonio, but this would seal the deal.

I would explain to the boy exactly the type of people he came from. Antonio was a bright boy, I'm sure he would realize that even if his parents and most of his race were monsters that he didn't have to be.

I would raise him to not be.

But once Blaze was blown back by an Empowered Cerva, I thought it was the end.

Yet, moments after our strongest mage was killed, I could feel an insane amount of mana in the air.

I couldn't look back to see the source, but I hoped it was on our side.

Then, I blinked, and I was placed into this darkness.

After turning and turning in my head, I still have no idea who the caster could have been. Or what spell they used.

This can't possibly be Time or Space magic, as there's only a handful of mages even capable of such magic. Yet, I struggle to find a spell that could affect me in such a way, locking my consciousness away in a cold prison.

After nearly two weeks, trying everything at my disposal, I felt something change.

A small crack of light appeared, and by focusing everything I had on that crack, I was freed.

Opening my eyes, well eye, for the first time in what feels like two months, I instantly understood a lot of my questions.

My consciousness wasn't sealed away, my entire body, and the body and minds of what looks to be all of the villagers and monsters were

Cloaking myself with battle mana seems to do nothing, and with my mouth frozen still, it's not as if I can cast anything.

There has to be something I can do.

Closing my eye, I focused deeply. Pushing all of my cloak into my right arm, I tried to move it will all of my might.

I could feel my arm break from the pressure, but I could also feel it break free from the prison of ice.

Dismantling the rest of my tomb of ice was a simple matter after my arm was free, so I freed my face first.

After healing my arm, it took a mere thirty seconds to strip the rest of the ice off of me.

Looking around, it seems every person and monster in the village suffered the same fate.

However, there are a few key things missing. First and foremost, the humans outside of the walls. They were originally a group of four, yet now there are only two statues.

Most of the monsters also seemed to have broken free and left the village, but that's not important.

Running into my house, I can see that Marble is still frozen in ice, yet Antonio and Surge are nowhere to be seen.