CH 18

The patients were sorted in order of severity of injury.

Lily stood in front of those who were about to die and needed magical treatment.

The first injured person she took on was a thirty-something in hunter’s clothing.

He was a knight of the dukedom who lived in the outpost below the mountain range, and naturally a man who was close to all of Winter Castle.

“What’s urgent is the abdomen.”

The teeth marks of a monster were clearly visible on his upper left stomach.

“Isn’t it hard to see?” (Blake)

Blake watched the expression on Lily’s face as he stood beside her.

It was clear that the beautifully grown noblewoman would struggle at first sight.

“It’s okay. I’m not in a hurry. What about the spell resources I requested?” (Lily)

“I’ve raided the warehouse. But are you feeling nauseous by any chance?” (Blake)

“No, I’m not. Don’t worry about it. It’s in that bag? Please give it to me.” (Lily)

“Do you feel dizzy?” (Blake)

“No, I’m fine. As expected at the dukedom, you’ve brought a lot.” (Lily)

“Do you feel like you are going to faint?” (Blake)

“Excuse me, you’re interrupting me. If you don’t have anything better to do, could you please go away?” (Lily)

Lily said it euphemistically, and if Blake’s dictionary was to be interpreted, it meant go away.

Lily sent Blake upstairs.

He had no choice but to be pushed by her small strength. Still, he looked at Lily’s complexion.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Lord Blake, please take a bath. Those are monster guts in your hair. I’m sure you know, there is a risk of infection.”

“I thought I got rid of them before entering the castle.”

“It’s truly amazing that you had the time to do that while carrying two men on your back.”

Lily replied in a tone that was a mixture of reproach and admiration.

There was a moment of silence. Her anxious expression, which had been hidden behind the joke, appeared. 

“Lady?”

Lily felt somewhat frightened and grabbed Blake’s hand.

A large gauntlet was inserted between her white hands.

A thin ooze of blood wetted the gauntlet.

“I’ll do my best.”

Lily was scared.

It wasn’t because she wasn’t used to seeing injured people.

She was afraid that if she wasn’t good enough, someone would die.

The fact that Lily was a sorceress was only strange for a noble.

Her spell power itself wasn’t a big deal. It was easy to see that she did not use any energy in her daily life.

In fact, she was burdened.

Lily thought that because of her lack, the kind people of Winter Castle would disappear somewhere, never to return.. ….

Then what about their poor families? Tomorrow’s year-long nesting season ……?

Blake realized what she really meant.

“You are the only one who can save us now.”

The man squeezed Lily’s hand tightly.

He had been outside in the cold earlier, but his hand had somehow become hot with his sturdy heart. A strong warmth washed over her.

“I promise I won’t question you if you can’t save some of them.”

There were many servants who formed families in the Winter Castle.

In the hall, husbands murmured to their wives and wives to their husbands, “It will be alright.”

Without Lily, they would surely die without making it past today.

“If someone stops breathing and returns to the earth, it’s his or her fate. We are willing to accept fate, and I will bet my name and the honor of the people.” (Blake)

“…I didn’t know, but you’re good at soothing people.” (Lily)

“But you must promise me one thing too.” (Blake)

Blake’s mouth twitched.

Would it be okay to say this?

He didn’t feel like they were close enough to say it. In fact, the man couldn’t even define what kind of relationship he had with Lily at all.

How close were they in the past?

Had their relationship been verbally obligated by his weird dead father?

Blake hesitated, but eventually he spoke his mind.

“Don’t over do it….”

He raised Lily’s hand and bent down.

He placed his lips on the back of her hand.

It wasn’t a soft and graceful posture like most nobles. It was crude like a knight who had only lived with a sword.

However, Lily could tell that he was worried enough.

Lily’s face was the same as it always did.

“Hoo-hoo, I told you I would do my best. I’m sorry, but the words “don’t over do it” are in contrast to that. That’s an impossible request.”

Lily was ready to push her limit.

She returned to the patients and the passion and heat for her vanished. Lily returned to the cold hall again, but she was not afraid. His protection still stayed with her.

***

The original Lily Hedwick would not have been able to give first aid to all the injured even if her life depended on it.

However, if they were helped by a spell resource, it would be a different story.

The spellcasting resources were processed by the sorcerers to become various products.

In other words, the gemstone itself was a source of energy.

Her mission was not to put too much power into one person.

Just keep everyone breathing until the mountain pathway was clear.

“Huh, huh, who are you………..”

The first patient’s eyes were blurry. On the other hand, his dry lips quivered as he realized that Lily was a stranger.

“I’m Lily, we’ll have a chance to exchange greetings later.”

The wounded man’s tension dissolved easily at the sweet voice that promised the future.

Lily held the abacus stone in her left hand and sent it with strength in the other hand in moderation.

But it was always the “just right” that was the hardest part.

It was very complicated, but… it started out well.

“Next!”

Many more “next” sounds were shouted after that.

Blake, after washing lightly, returned to the hall without wiping off all the water. He swept his black hair.

The man was feeling inexplicably anxious. He wanted to see Lily.

“Master! We’re almost done with the injured!”

The maid came up to him with a quick open expression.

All of them? Then where is Lily?

Sorcery wasn’t a power that could be used endlessly. And she didn’t promise not to over do it.

The man was breathing hard as he came downstairs in a hurry.

He could see the back of Lily’s head.

She was getting up from her chair after examining the last patient.

The first thing he saw was her thin neck. It was the same as it usually was, but now it was as pale as a corpse.

Blake’s beastly vision caught another feature that had occurred to Lily. The chair handle she grabbed because she couldn’t stand up completely. 

And the way she walked with no strength……….

“Lady.”

He walked from a distance. He could feel the tension in the air, and his whole body tensed up.

“Oh, I’m sorry, but I’ve used up all my magic resources. Oh my god, I could have bought some mansions if I sold them.……. But there won’t be a big blow to the Duke’s wealth, right? You’re rich. The capital’s aristocracy may swear that it’s a frivolous game of money, but secretly they all envy you.” (Lily)

“Lily Hedwick.”

“It’s hard to breathe. Please open the window…”

“Lily!”

Blake ran.

The small Lily fell over his shoulder.

It was time for Lily, who had lost consciousness, to get closer to the ground.

Blake picked her up and held her in his arms.

“Lily! Lily!”

Her skin was cold like ice.

****

It had been several hours since Lily Hedwick passed out.

Even then, a decent number of the employees had gathered in the kitchen. They peeked in the door of the room where Lilly lay and were kicked out.

The aide, IIDexter, had originally had the right to sleep for a few days.

However, he was forced to wake up to examine Lily’s condition.

Otherwise, Blake was going to kill him, so he wasted no time talking.

He had to keep his mouth shut and use his abilities.

When IIDexter returned to the kitchen, everyone rushed in.

“Is Lily okay?”

“She just used up a lot of energy. That’s why her body temperature dropped. She poured her energy based on the spell resources, so it’s no problem. Put her to bed in a warm room for a few days.”

“Lily is fine!”

“There’s no problem!”

Worries and depressed moods for Lily suddenly turned festive.

“No one is interested in me. ……….” (IIDexter)

IIDexter dragged his tired body and lay down in the corner. It didn’t matter that he just saved Lily or not.

Plus, he wasn’t even interested in a promotion today!

While he was a skeleton and sick, the others all praised Lily.

Many stories were exchanged between the dispatchers and the servants who lived in the Winter Castle.

“Is that blonde woman who healed my son you told me about the other day?”

“She is a very compassionate person. We all owe her our lives.”

“How can I repay this favor?”

The servants and knights alike sat down and praised Lily.

Lily was their benefactor.

The people who used to be at the castle were told how kind Lily usually was. A moving story was added one by one.

Of course, there was one person who didn’t like the situation.

It was Sebastian. He remembered what he had said to Lily

“Stay still. It’s best to stay out of people’s way.”

The same night he said that, Lily suddenly became everyone’s idol. He was speechless. He sat annoyingly by the window, putting on his hat and left.