Chapter 186- For you (Part 3)
After that, Emilia opened the flask and started pouring the liquid on Rin's chest. The golden color of it made his body look glossy.
"I will start." She said as she put her hand on his chest.
Then, slowly and gently, she started rubbing it on his chest, particularly around his solar plexus and where his heart is. The technique she used was odd but looked very organized and in harmony as if each move had a purpose.
'She's using mana...' Elise noticed the weird behavior of Emilia's mana as it seeped through her hand and magically spread across Rin's body as if it got stuck to him. Then, in a meticulous way, was absorbed by Rin.
It didn't take her long to realize what that liquid does. It allows Emilia to easily transfer her mana to Rin. It was akin to a medium between them.
Minutes passed in the same manner, Rin's body kept absorbing mana as if he was a dry sponge. The more he absorbed, the better he seemed to get. His extremely pale face gained some color and his blue lips started regaining their rosiness.
On the other hand, Emilia's face was riddled with sweat beads. Her breathing was also slightly uneven. It was clear that using her mana this way took a toll on her.
But, eventually, she lifted her hand and sighed, exhaling a long breath as if she could finally rest.
"It's done. His injury is quite deep so it took longer than I expected."
"Will he be fine now?!" Aria asked with clear nervousness in her eyes.
"Yes, I'm actually quite amazed by how easily he absorbed the mana. His core's efficiency in circulating mana is impressive." Emilia said as she closed her eyes and recalled what she saw in Rin's mana veins.
The way they transported mana around his body was so beautiful and perfect that she almost thought he wasn't a human. Normally, when awakened develops their mana veins, and they will have some small deficiencies in their structure. It's all a part of the mana's effect on his body when it first enters it.
However, Rin had no such thing inside his body. Emilia couldn't even find a single fault in his mana veins.
'That's probably one of the reasons for extremely fast learning speed. His body can absorb all forms of magic as if it was solely made for such a thing.'
"All he needs now is rest. His mana core started the healing process and it will take a while till he woke up. You both should leave and let him rest."
"I see..." Aria's face turned a little sadder.
But, she knew that her desire to stay here is irrelevant if it meant annoying Rin and hindering his rest.
"Elise, follow me. I need to talk with you." Emilia added as she glanced at Elis.
"Understood."
So, Emilia along with Aria left the room, Elise was the only one left. Staying in her place for a few moments, she then approached Rin.
During all of this, Elise's eyes never left Rin, not even for a second.
"Rest well... I will be back soon." She said as she touched his hand lightly before pulling away and exiting the room.
***
"So, care to explain what exactly happened?" Emilia asked as she tapped on her desk rhythmically.
Taking a deep breath, Elise recounted the story again in great detail.
"And that's how we ended up carrying him back here..."
"... A demon, huh. And they can even use mana... How could this be?" Clicking her tongue, Emilia rubbed her temple before asking.
The shock from hearing that this demon had access to magic was strong. But, Emilia's fear wasn't from the fact that this demon but from the fact that could be something happening around the world as they were speaking.
'No, I shouldn't think of the worst now.'
"You didn't find a single person alive?"
"No, I didn't search thoroughly but I'm sure all of them had their throats slit. Even if there was one still alive, they would've died anyways." Elise said as a strong frown appeared on her face.
The sight of tens of dead people was the most repulsive sight Elise had ever seen. Even though she had killed monsters before and saw blood with her own eyes, this was the first time she saw this many people die in one place.
"I see... Well, an official letter had been sent to the kingdom. I fear that only the worst could happen from here on out."
"What do you mean, Miss Emilia?"
"A demon escaping the shackles is no laughing matter. There are only two possibilities that could happen. Either every demon will be eradicated immediately... Or."
"Or?"
"A civil war could happen."
"A civil war?"
"After what happened, do you think the lords of other cities will stay silent? Each one of them will fear for himself. Every connection between the lords will crumble. A tense kingdom, with a bunch of suspecting lords that govern it, and a king that can't control them. That's the best breeding ground for a civil war. An event this big could affect the whole world and it becomes a war on a larger scale across all of Divine Sapphire."
A world war was not something to scoff at. Especially at this crucial moment when the cult could attack at any moment. In fact, if a war occurs, the cult would definitely use that opportunity to hit the human race where it hurts and especially the academy since it's the powerhouse that stands above everything in the human realm.
'It's only getting worse... As if everything is meant to be led this...'
As Elise thought, she halted on a particular thought she had.
'As if everything meant to happen like this.'
"Miss Emilia..."
"Hm?"
"Is there perhaps a possibility that the one that gave demons the power of magic is none other than the cult itself."
"What do you mean?"
"Didn't you just say it, that the cult wants the humans to fight each other so that it can hit them at their most vulnerable state? What's better than to actually ignite the war themselves?"
"That could be possible. But, the question remains, how did they do it? I have never heard of such a thing existing or even being remotely possible. Humans and demons don't have the same anatomy. It's medically impossible unless they could somehow turn a demon into a human."
"Turning a demon into a human... Turning a demon into a human." Elise kept repeating the last part as she thought about it carefully.
Technically, changing a creature from one race to another should be impossible. After all, no magic has this ability. But, then again, impossible things keep happening right in front of their eyes again and again.
"For now, I will keep this possibility in my head. Maybe the cult was able to find a loophole they exploited to make this possible."
Standing up, Elise turned around to leave.
But, as she put her hand on the handle, she heard a sound coming from the other room. The one Rin was inside.
"Huh?"
Turning around to look at the door and then at Emilia, she rushed inside.
There, she found Rin, who should've been asleep, on the ground, trying to stand up.
"U-Ugh..." Groaning slightly from pain, he tried to push himself up.
"Rin!"
Approaching him quickly, she made him wrap his arm around her should as a support before lifting him up.
"E-Elise..." Sensing her, Rin said in a low tone.
"Why did you try to wake up! You are gravely injured!"
"W-Where am I?"
"Inside Miss Emilia's office. Now, here, lay down and don't try to move."
When he was put down again, he looked at her.
"W-Why do I feel... Extremely weak..."
"As I said, you have sustained a heavy injury. Now, go back to sleep. Don't push yourself."
"But..."
"No buts, you must sleep." Elise repeated sternly as she looked at Rin seriously.
"Please, Rin. Just rest. I will tell you everything later, ok?" Her tone lowered a little bit.
"F-Fine..." Nodding his head, Rin didn't say anything else and closed his eyes.
Even though Rin had no idea where he was or what happened to him, but the moment he heard Elise, he completely relaxed and didn't think about it twice. His trust in her was as great as his trust in his own self, after all.
Seeing how gentle and warm she was even when she was serious, Emilia could only wonder how much did the two go through to create such a bond.
Having great trust in others is a thing, having blind trust in them is a whole different matter. For one to gain such a feeling toward another, they must face tough moments together. They had to sacrifice for each other.
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