Chapter 98

The sensation of vomiting up a hot mass of blood is unpleasant no matter how many times I experience it.

The searing heat burning my throat and the iron stench rising from my insides—neither feels any less revolting.

It’s meaningless to talk about my feelings when blood, meant to flow inside my body, is spilling out through my mouth.

“Cough… Cough…”

Despite such nonchalant thoughts, my body continued to cough up chunks of blood.

Whether it’s vomiting blood or spitting blood, no matter how you look at it, it’s definitely not a sign of a healthy body.

Externally, I might appear fine, but inside, my body was a wreck—like a mushy mess.

‘Damn… I’m going to die at this rate….’

I’m used to enduring pain.

In the back alleys, where the law of the fist is stronger than the law of the land, a little girl is the weakest of the weak.

Even if it hurt, I couldn’t show it. I had to swallow my pain down, because I couldn’t afford to be weak.

But, even for me, the pain I’m feeling now is difficult to get used to.

What initially felt like small needles pricking me has now escalated to a sensation as if my insides were being finely sliced by a blade, and then rubbed with salt.

The body that I’d managed to stretch out briefly curled up again.

“How, how could this be… No, wait! Celine. If I get Celine…!”

I caught a glimpse of Da-eun’s resolute expression through my blurred vision caused by the pain.

“Kana, hang in there. I’ll bring Celine here.”

Her voice was filled with hope that Celine, a trainee saintess, would be able to heal me.

Da-eun’s expression was full of anticipation as she watched Celine and her party arrive and pour divine power into me.

But.

“…”

“Celine? What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry. It seems that I cannot heal Lady Kana with my power.”

“What…?”

“Of course…”

Having anticipated this outcome from the beginning, I slowly got up, staggering.

I leaned on a long sword, which had a simple appearance and served as my cane, in place of the red sword that had vanished the moment I lifted Grasid’s Blessing.

“This isn’t a regular injury…”

It’s the result of being overwhelmed by the mana of a Red Dragon, known to be exceptionally savage even among dragons.

How should I put it… it’s hard to describe in words.

It’s not that there’s an actual wound left, but more like my body has been overloaded from enduring excessive stress.

So, it’s no surprise that Celine’s holy magic had no effect.

“Okay! I get it, so just stop talking! You’re still bleeding…!”

Da-eun cut me off, swiping the corner of my mouth with her sleeve.

Her white sleeve was stained bright red with my blood.

“Oh.”

No wonder it felt like something was constantly flowing. I hadn’t realized I was bleeding because I was too busy talking.

How careless of me.

“I actually thought it was saliva for a moment.”

Da-eun said she mistook it for drool because I was reacting way too calmly.

Blood or saliva, letting something drip from your mouth makes you look just as sloppy, doesn’t it?

“It’s definitely different! And more importantly, stop talking if you’re in pain!”

The soft sensation of cloth brushed against my lips again, and her other sleeve was also turning red.

It’s going to be troublesome to wash out the blood from her white clothes.

As I stared blankly at the bloodstained cuffs of her sleeves, a thought crossed my mind.

“…Huh.”

“Kana?!”

“Lady Kana!”

Just a moment ago, I had been looking ahead, but now my vision was turned toward the ground.

Clank!

The sound of the longsword, which I had been using as a cane, clattering to the ground snapped me back to reality.

‘I’ve fallen, haven’t I?’

No wonder the ground seemed so close.

Thankfully, it’s not because I’ve shrunk; I just fell over.

The sound of my surroundings echoed dully, as if I were submerged underwater.

And just like that, my vision began to blur.

‘…I guess I overexerted myself a bit.’

That was my last thought before my fading consciousness turned completely black.

***

***

Is this what it feels like for families waiting for a patient in surgery?

This was an entirely new experience for Da-eun, who had always played the role of the patient.

Step, step.

The sound of pacing footsteps and nails being bitten filled the short hallway.

Creak.

The sound of the firmly closed door’s hinges moving.

It was a sound that could easily have been missed, but Da-eun, who had been on edge, caught it immediately.

Perk!

Like a rabbit pricking up its ears, Da-eun dashed toward the opening door.

“…!”

“How is she?! Is she okay?”

Celine, who had just come out of the room, stiffened under the pressure of Da-eun’s intensity.

“Ah… I’m sorry.”

Seeing Celine’s deeply flustered expression, Da-eun realized her mistake and took a step back.

“It’s okay. I understand.”

Celine’s face, momentarily shocked, softened into a gentle smile.

The time spent with Kana and Da-eun.

It was only a few weeks, but it had been enough for Celine to get to know them.

Even though she often acted prickly, Kana was always particularly kind to Da-eun, and Da-eun looked at Kana with eyes dripping with affection. It was impossible not to notice.

‘Of course, she’d be worried about the girl she cherishes so much lying unconscious in bed.’

…It’s heartwarming.

Celine, who had been watching Da-eun with a mix of admiration and perhaps even a hint of envy, shook her head.

“I’m not a physician, so I can’t give an exact diagnosis… but Lady Kana’s body seems to be fine.”



“I see….”

Da-eun’s expression didn’t brighten much after hearing Celine’s words.

While it sounded reassuring to say there was nothing wrong with Kana’s body, it also meant that Celine’s power couldn’t heal her.

‘Dragon’s mana, huh….’

I had thought it was extraordinary, given that it was a national treasure, but I never imagined it would be something so remarkable.

Remembering Kana knocking down Krumo’s Shadow, which had been burning the village, without letting it land a single hit, Da-eun shivered.

But great power always comes with a great price.

The girl who defeated the shadow in an instant had collapsed, her face turning even paler than its usual whiteness, and even after several hours, she had yet to regain consciousness.

“I guess all we can do is wait….”

Kana is strong, so she’ll wake up soon.

Da-eun consoled herself, but she couldn’t calm her anxious heart.

‘She looked like she was in a lot of pain.’

Kana had tried to act like everything was fine, putting on a composed front.

But Da-eun, who had been talking to her, could see it clearly.

The lips turned pale from clenching in pain, the cold sweat running down her forehead, the oddly unfocused gaze, the tightly furrowed brows, and the voice filled with suffering.

There were many other signs that hinted at Kana’s condition, but in the end, she couldn’t withstand the pain and collapsed, so there was no need to say more.

“How is she doing…?”

“There’s no particular change in her condition.”

Artisha, who had been away for a while, returned.

The attack by Krumo’s Shadow had caused immense damage to the village.

Many buildings were destroyed, and many casualties occurred, so not only were there numerous patients, but there were also hardly any proper places for the residents to stay tonight.

Gathering in one of the few intact buildings was the best they could do.

Under such circumstances, Artisha had generously offered her residence, one of the few undamaged structures, to Da-eun and her party.

Da-eun was both grateful and uncomfortable about Artisha’s hospitality.

“Is it really okay for us to use such a large space all by ourselves?”

In a situation like this, it felt awkward to occupy a space large enough for dozens of people with just their small group.

So, she had subtly mentioned it several times, but Artisha’s determination was unshakeable.

“A debt of gratitude must be repaid….”

You saved the village, so what’s a mere mansion in comparison?

There was also another reason.

“It’s not good for patients to be exposed to our Magi.”

Even if the village was already saturated with Magi, it made a difference whether they shared the same space or not.

While it might not matter when someone is in good health, Artisha’s opinion was that they needed to be cautious now that Kana had lost consciousness and collapsed.

“Hmm… if that’s the case….”

Da-eun reluctantly stepped back when Artisha brought up Kana’s condition.

“If you need anything, just let me know at any time… I’ll help in every way I can….”

“There’s nothing I need right now. I’ll let you know if I think of anything later.”

“Alright…. Oh, by the way….”

I didn’t come here just to say this….

Artisha clapped her hands lightly as if she had just remembered.

“I almost forgot to mention… For the next few hours, don’t go outside….”

“What? I wasn’t planning to go out, but… is there a particular reason?”

“A group of monsters has been spotted approaching…. Normally, we’d be fine since we have the barricades, but….”

Trailing off, Artisha glanced out the window.

Her dark eyes reflected the ruined, charred scenery of the village.

“As you can see, the state of the village is a mess…. So, stay here as much as possible…. There might still be some stragglers left.”

“A group of monsters?”

“Yes….”

To think that a monster horde would appear when they hadn’t even finished dealing with the shadow’s attack.

It was a perfect example of one disaster following another. Da-eun carefully offered a suggestion.

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“There’s no need for that…. Even though it’s a monster horde, it’s not large enough to overwhelm us. We can handle it on our own….”

“That’s a relief, but… it’s a bit strange.”

Da-eun suddenly recalled something she’d read somewhere.

Wasn’t it called Heinrich’s Law?

It’s a statistical principle stating that before a major accident occurs, dozens of minor accidents and warning signs, stemming from the same cause, tend to happen first.

For incidents to be happening one after another like this…

Could this be a sign of something much bigger brewing?

Da-eun felt a surge of anxiety.

But she wasn’t insensitive enough to voice such thoughts outright to someone who had already been through a disaster, so she changed the subject subtly.

“Why now of all times?”

“Who knows…. Maybe they thought it was an opportunity….”

Unlike the anxious Da-eun, who was chewing her lips nervously, Artisha seemed indifferent.

In fact, she even stuck out her tongue and licked her lips as if savoring something.

“Besides, we’ve been short on meat lately, so this works out just fine….”

“Gah….”

Da-eun made a strange sound in response to Artisha’s words.

Monster meat.

For Da-eun, who came from Earth, the idea of eating monster meat was something she could never get used to.

She knew it was edible, but there was still a lingering hesitation when it came to actually eating it.

Noticing the strange look she was receiving, Da-eun cleared her throat.

“…Ahem, I hope it’s nothing serious.”

“It won’t be.”

“Right?”

“Why are you saying that while looking at me…?”

“Huh? Who else would I say it to but you, Artisha?”

Da-eun asked, clearly puzzled.

Artisha silently gestured with her chin.

As if telling Da-eun to look over there, Da-eun’s eyes rolled toward the direction indicated.



“…Huh?”

The tightly closed door had swung wide open.

And through the open doorway, a small girl was leaning against the doorframe, quietly watching her.

“Bugs are always drawn to a strong light….”

With a face as exhausted as Artisha’s, Kana spoke.