“Hey, open your eyes!”
She remembered what Luzon had told me about the monster's venom. It hurt terribly. That would render one unconscious. At the time, Luzon had said that it wouldn't be life-threatening. However, that was only if you were bitten once or twice. If you were to get scratched and bitten all over, just like Callion is now...
“Kh... Ugh...”
Even though he had lost consciousness, his face contorted with pain. At the same time, his body stiffened and convulsed. Erna recalled the words her ladies-in-waiting had told her over and over again when she came to Hessengard as a child, as if to remind her to remember them well.
“They say that if you are poisoned, you die a very painful death. They say that if you thrash around, lose consciousness, and your body stiffens... You will die soon.”
She knew it was meant to scare her. But it wasn't wrong. After all, if you lose consciousness and your body stiffens, breathing becomes difficult, leading to death. And right now, that was exactly what Callion's symptoms were.
If things continue like this, Callion will die.
The moment she realized it, Erna felt an unfamiliar fear she had never experienced before.
He is a man she cannot stand the sight of. She calls him her husband, but he is just a stranger. No, he is worse than a stranger. They are the kind of people who glare at each other and click their tongues whenever they cross paths. If they do exchange words, before they can even finish ten sentences, they call each other derogatory names from their childhood, like "pumpkin" or "earthworm." Yet, Erna never sincerely wished for his death.
It might be a very petty sense of camaraderie. It is not that they held on amicably, but she saw how they both desperately and fiercely struggled to survive.
Just as Erna was flustered, not knowing what to do, a voice calling them from the forest was heard again.
“Lady Erna! Where are you! Please answer me!”
At that voice, Erna snapped out of it and shouted.
“Over here! I’m here! Come quickly!”
"Lady Erna!"
Upon hearing Erna's voice, Orpheus rushed over in a panic. Cedric was also by her side. The two stopped in their tracks in shock at the sight of the fallen Callion and Erna holding his arm. Without letting go of Callion's hand, Erna spoke.
"Please save Callion!"
In the midst of such chaos, no one noticed. The fact that Erna had called his name for the first time.
Chapter 6. Rest
The magic cast by Erna wiped out all the monsters in the Haldis area with just a single cast. As people watched dead creatures floating to the surface—not only those at the bottom of the lake but even those hiding at the bottom of the village's waterways—they were reminded once again of the power of magic and praised Erna's name.
Even the knights, who normally would have grumbled, asking if he was just saying magic was amazing again, chimed in without complaint this time, saying they didn't know the Grand Duke's magic was this incredible. Despite it not being their own power, pride was evident on their faces.
As access to the isolated village resumed, the people who had been separated for even a brief moment embraced their families and shed tears of joy. The knights cleaned up the chaotic city and actively stepped forward to help with tasks requiring strength, while the wizards cast purification spells throughout the lake to ensure no monster poison remained. Everything was quickly brought under control.
Unlike busy people, Erna did nothing.
“You need to rest, Grand Duke! You completely ran out of magic power because you activated that powerful spell all by yourself!”
“Orpheus... do you really need to shout that I have almost no magic power right now?”
As Erna sighed, Orpheus realized her mistake and lowered her voice. Of course, that didn't mean the nagging stopped.
“Anyway, don’t come out; stay inside. Leave the cleanup to us. Understood?”
Orpheus stopped nagging only after getting a firm promise from Erna. Actually, Erna didn't really intend to go out either. She needed to recover because her magic power was almost depleted.
'Otherwise, I would have helped clean up the mess too, but...'
After the monsters appeared, there was more to clean up than expected. First, she had to treat and comfort the injured and purify the monster's poison remaining here and there. She also had to check to see if anything else was left behind, and the things broken in the attack needed to be repaired.
Erna approached the window and gazed at the city floating on the lake. Although it was far away, she could clearly see people bustling about. It wasn't just the villagers moving about. Among the villagers, there were wizards using magic and knights fighting with their bodies.
When did they get so close?
When they first arrived here, they had been wary of each other and reluctant to get close. Their gazes were a mixture of exploration and caution, but now they were in perfect sync, as if they had been moving together all along.
Do they really become that close just from fighting once?
It seemed that the fact that they fought monsters while protecting each other in the forest had instantly torn down the high wall of defense.
It wasn't a bad thing. Since they would likely be working together a few more times in the future, building some rapport would be even more helpful in carrying out the mission.
She told them to step back, saying the Knights were not needed this time. However, that was a statement only possible because they had been fighting monsters. If they had faced humans instead of monsters this time, then while the mages were important, the power of the knights would have been even more crucial.
“It would be best if war didn’t break out, but...”
Will it really be easy? The war between neighboring nations that had lasted for several years has ended. In the meantime, Hessengard was able to avoid the flames of war by declaring neutrality. However, the neighboring countries are not going to just sit by and watch. They will immediately begin to plunder Havand and Ether, the nations of Erna and Callion, with blazing eyes.
Erna stood up and stretched. It wasn't a problem that would be solved just by worrying about it now. In that case, it would be best to put the worrying aside for a while and get plenty of rest to recover her magical power as quickly as possible.
The best way to recover magical power is ample rest. Of course, sleeping long and deeply is also important. But that wasn't possible right now. Erna approached the bed with a sour expression.
"Ha..."
A deep sigh escaped Erna's lips as she looked up at the bed. On the bed she was supposed to use for rest lay Callion, looking as if dead.
“How long is he going to sleep?”
Erna slumped onto the single sofa pulled next to the bed and looked at him asleep.
After Callion collapsed, fortunately, Orpheus and Cedric found the two, and the mages and a healer from the Knights' Order followed them. The healers pulled out the monster claw embedded in Callion's arm and cut open the wound with a knife to extract the poison. Next, it was the mages' turn.
As they used healing magic to purify the monster's poison, a magical light enveloped Callion. His distorted face then relaxed. She was relieved that at least the pain was gone, but Callion still did not open his eyes.
“What happened?”
Usually, using healing magic restores consciousness, but seeing that he didn't even open his eyes, let alone regain it, she felt anxious. Then, the Knights' healer examined Callion a little more and spoke.
"It seems more poison has entered the body than expected. In such cases, even if healing magic is used, the damage sustained does not completely disappear, so they often fall into a deep sleep to recover."
Because he was so tall and large, the tallest knight in the order came and carried him on his back back to the mansion. And three days have already passed since he was immediately moved to this room.
In the meantime, healers came in a few times to check on Callion. However, they did nothing but observe.
"Is it really okay?"
When Erna asked as if she were worried, they spoke in a cheerful voice as if to say not to worry too much.
"It is fine. His complexion, breathing, and heart rate are all normal. He is simply in a deep sleep, so he will wake up once he considers himself fully recovered. There may be some aftereffects, but for someone in this healthy state, it shouldn't be a major issue."
But three days had passed. It was Erna who became anxious as Callion continued to be unable to get up.
She clearly remembered the final moment he collapsed. He had used his body like a shield, completely blocking her from the monster.
She was surprised that he even thought of stopping them, knowing full well that he wasn't unaware of the terrible poison in the monster's teeth and claws. She wondered what was so special about the promise he made to her that he was so determined to keep it.
People said that Erna's magic saved everyone, but Erna thought differently. If Callion hadn't stopped the monsters at that time, she wouldn't have been able to complete her magic. Therefore, it was Callion who saved everyone.
Of course, she doesn't intend to say that herself.
If she did, it was clear that Callion would sneer, saying it was a relief that she was admitting it. Erna turned her head to look at the basin and towels on the bedside table.
Callion was not the only one injured. There were others among the knights and mages, and countless residents of Haldis and the guards were wounded as well. As a result, the healers were extremely busy and had no time to care for Callion, who had nothing left to do.
Eventually, nursing Callion fell to Erna. The healers and the mansion's servants offered to do it, but Erna stepped forward to take on the task herself. Everyone was busy looking after others, and since she needed to rest anyway, she had nothing particular to do. Moreover, she was the only person staying in the same room.
She remembered what Luzon had told me about the monster's venom. It hurt terribly. That would render one unconscious. At the time, Luzon had said that it wouldn't be life-threatening. However, that was only if you were bitten once or twice. If you were to get scratched and bitten all over, just like Callion is now...
“Kh... Ugh...”
Even though he had lost consciousness, his face contorted with pain. At the same time, his body stiffened and convulsed. Erna recalled the words her ladies-in-waiting had told her over and over again when she came to Hessengard as a child, as if to remind her to remember them well.
“They say that if you are poisoned, you die a very painful death. They say that if you thrash around, lose consciousness, and your body stiffens... You will die soon.”
She knew it was meant to scare her. But it wasn't wrong. After all, if you lose consciousness and your body stiffens, breathing becomes difficult, leading to death. And right now, that was exactly what Callion's symptoms were.
If things continue like this, Callion will die.
The moment she realized it, Erna felt an unfamiliar fear she had never experienced before.
He is a man she cannot stand the sight of. She calls him her husband, but he is just a stranger. No, he is worse than a stranger. They are the kind of people who glare at each other and click their tongues whenever they cross paths. If they do exchange words, before they can even finish ten sentences, they call each other derogatory names from their childhood, like "pumpkin" or "earthworm." Yet, Erna never sincerely wished for his death.
It might be a very petty sense of camaraderie. It is not that they held on amicably, but she saw how they both desperately and fiercely struggled to survive.
Just as Erna was flustered, not knowing what to do, a voice calling them from the forest was heard again.
“Lady Erna! Where are you! Please answer me!”
At that voice, Erna snapped out of it and shouted.
“Over here! I’m here! Come quickly!”
"Lady Erna!"
Upon hearing Erna's voice, Orpheus rushed over in a panic. Cedric was also by her side. The two stopped in their tracks in shock at the sight of the fallen Callion and Erna holding his arm. Without letting go of Callion's hand, Erna spoke.
"Please save Callion!"
In the midst of such chaos, no one noticed. The fact that Erna had called his name for the first time.
***
Chapter 6. Rest
The magic cast by Erna wiped out all the monsters in the Haldis area with just a single cast. As people watched dead creatures floating to the surface—not only those at the bottom of the lake but even those hiding at the bottom of the village's waterways—they were reminded once again of the power of magic and praised Erna's name.
Even the knights, who normally would have grumbled, asking if he was just saying magic was amazing again, chimed in without complaint this time, saying they didn't know the Grand Duke's magic was this incredible. Despite it not being their own power, pride was evident on their faces.
As access to the isolated village resumed, the people who had been separated for even a brief moment embraced their families and shed tears of joy. The knights cleaned up the chaotic city and actively stepped forward to help with tasks requiring strength, while the wizards cast purification spells throughout the lake to ensure no monster poison remained. Everything was quickly brought under control.
Unlike busy people, Erna did nothing.
“You need to rest, Grand Duke! You completely ran out of magic power because you activated that powerful spell all by yourself!”
“Orpheus... do you really need to shout that I have almost no magic power right now?”
As Erna sighed, Orpheus realized her mistake and lowered her voice. Of course, that didn't mean the nagging stopped.
“Anyway, don’t come out; stay inside. Leave the cleanup to us. Understood?”
Orpheus stopped nagging only after getting a firm promise from Erna. Actually, Erna didn't really intend to go out either. She needed to recover because her magic power was almost depleted.
'Otherwise, I would have helped clean up the mess too, but...'
After the monsters appeared, there was more to clean up than expected. First, she had to treat and comfort the injured and purify the monster's poison remaining here and there. She also had to check to see if anything else was left behind, and the things broken in the attack needed to be repaired.
Erna approached the window and gazed at the city floating on the lake. Although it was far away, she could clearly see people bustling about. It wasn't just the villagers moving about. Among the villagers, there were wizards using magic and knights fighting with their bodies.
When did they get so close?
When they first arrived here, they had been wary of each other and reluctant to get close. Their gazes were a mixture of exploration and caution, but now they were in perfect sync, as if they had been moving together all along.
Do they really become that close just from fighting once?
It seemed that the fact that they fought monsters while protecting each other in the forest had instantly torn down the high wall of defense.
It wasn't a bad thing. Since they would likely be working together a few more times in the future, building some rapport would be even more helpful in carrying out the mission.
She told them to step back, saying the Knights were not needed this time. However, that was a statement only possible because they had been fighting monsters. If they had faced humans instead of monsters this time, then while the mages were important, the power of the knights would have been even more crucial.
“It would be best if war didn’t break out, but...”
Will it really be easy? The war between neighboring nations that had lasted for several years has ended. In the meantime, Hessengard was able to avoid the flames of war by declaring neutrality. However, the neighboring countries are not going to just sit by and watch. They will immediately begin to plunder Havand and Ether, the nations of Erna and Callion, with blazing eyes.
Erna stood up and stretched. It wasn't a problem that would be solved just by worrying about it now. In that case, it would be best to put the worrying aside for a while and get plenty of rest to recover her magical power as quickly as possible.
The best way to recover magical power is ample rest. Of course, sleeping long and deeply is also important. But that wasn't possible right now. Erna approached the bed with a sour expression.
"Ha..."
A deep sigh escaped Erna's lips as she looked up at the bed. On the bed she was supposed to use for rest lay Callion, looking as if dead.
“How long is he going to sleep?”
Erna slumped onto the single sofa pulled next to the bed and looked at him asleep.
After Callion collapsed, fortunately, Orpheus and Cedric found the two, and the mages and a healer from the Knights' Order followed them. The healers pulled out the monster claw embedded in Callion's arm and cut open the wound with a knife to extract the poison. Next, it was the mages' turn.
As they used healing magic to purify the monster's poison, a magical light enveloped Callion. His distorted face then relaxed. She was relieved that at least the pain was gone, but Callion still did not open his eyes.
“What happened?”
Usually, using healing magic restores consciousness, but seeing that he didn't even open his eyes, let alone regain it, she felt anxious. Then, the Knights' healer examined Callion a little more and spoke.
"It seems more poison has entered the body than expected. In such cases, even if healing magic is used, the damage sustained does not completely disappear, so they often fall into a deep sleep to recover."
Because he was so tall and large, the tallest knight in the order came and carried him on his back back to the mansion. And three days have already passed since he was immediately moved to this room.
In the meantime, healers came in a few times to check on Callion. However, they did nothing but observe.
"Is it really okay?"
When Erna asked as if she were worried, they spoke in a cheerful voice as if to say not to worry too much.
"It is fine. His complexion, breathing, and heart rate are all normal. He is simply in a deep sleep, so he will wake up once he considers himself fully recovered. There may be some aftereffects, but for someone in this healthy state, it shouldn't be a major issue."
But three days had passed. It was Erna who became anxious as Callion continued to be unable to get up.
She clearly remembered the final moment he collapsed. He had used his body like a shield, completely blocking her from the monster.
'Who in their right mind would stick to their word this stubbornly just because they said they would?'
People said that Erna's magic saved everyone, but Erna thought differently. If Callion hadn't stopped the monsters at that time, she wouldn't have been able to complete her magic. Therefore, it was Callion who saved everyone.
Of course, she doesn't intend to say that herself.
If she did, it was clear that Callion would sneer, saying it was a relief that she was admitting it. Erna turned her head to look at the basin and towels on the bedside table.
Callion was not the only one injured. There were others among the knights and mages, and countless residents of Haldis and the guards were wounded as well. As a result, the healers were extremely busy and had no time to care for Callion, who had nothing left to do.
Eventually, nursing Callion fell to Erna. The healers and the mansion's servants offered to do it, but Erna stepped forward to take on the task herself. Everyone was busy looking after others, and since she needed to rest anyway, she had nothing particular to do. Moreover, she was the only person staying in the same room.
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