Volume 5 Chapter 11 Reminiscence ➀➀
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The two of them disappeared in an instant.
I caught at least five rounds of their exchange, but that was all I could see. Both were wielding that incomprehensible spirit magic—so as an ordinary human, I couldn’t grasp anything beyond that.
…Seeing that, it’s no wonder I’m nothing but a hindrance.
Then, what should I do?
I can’t help my master. All I can do is──
After some thought, I headed to the river, carrying two buckets.
I made countless trips to fill the bath. Of course, I also gathered plenty of firewood from the forest.
I cleaned the hut, prepared my master’s favorite dishes, and──
──made sure to have medicine ready, just in case.
…Yes.
All I, this good-for-nothing disciple, can do is prepare for her return and wait.
Frantically moving my body just to keep my mind from wandering,
I waited for her.
Time passed sluggishly, and by the time the sun had set──
I sensed something outside.
I flung open the door without hesitation, and there she was──
”…Welcome back, Soyuz. Ah, you even prepared dinner. That’s quite considerate… for my troubled disciple… Keep it up, please.”
My master stood there, cracking a light-hearted joke, despite being bruised all over.
”Master! What happened to you?!”
I shouted, shocked, and she responded with a weak smile.
”Heh… Volodya has improved a lot. Just a hundred years ago, he was about your level. Seems he’s been diligently following my teachings… Very impressive.”
”Please don’t talk nonsense and come inside at once! I’ll get medicine!”
”It’s fine. The bleeding’s stopped with magic. There’s nothing more you can do.”
She gave a troubled smile and glanced at her right arm.
From the elbow down, it was gone.
Tears pricked my eyes as I returned to my room to grab the first aid kit.
I’d hoped never to use it, but I’d prepared it just in case—the most powerful healing medicine we had.
I led my master to the bath, carefully removing her bloodied clothes.
”Taking advantage of your injured master like this… stripping her clothes… You’re quite the villain, aren’t you? …Don’t you want my body that much?”
”Stop joking around! I’ll run you a bath. It’ll hurt, but please bear with it!”
I measured the temperature carefully and cleaned her wounds with a ladle, extra cautious.
Her skin, fair as an elf’s, was scarred and burnt in many places; some marks looked like frostbite. How many horrific battles had she fought?
”Just to be sure… can you not heal yourself with spirit magic?”
I cleaned the wounds with a fresh cloth and applied the ointment—the special medicine I learned from Vintenica Mama. Unless it’s a really deep cut, this heals sword wounds. It worked well on me, after all, having been used repeatedly by my master.
”Yeah, I can’t. Only priests and clergymen can perform such miracles… And even then, not ‘this’…”
She looked at her lost right arm.
The bleeding had stopped, but…
Nothing more could be done.
She’d lost her dominant arm.
”I’m sorry, Master… If only I were stronger, I could have helped…”
No matter how I bit back, tears fell.
I bowed my head, ashamed of my helplessness.
”Heh… Don’t get full of yourself, Soyuz. Volodya was an incredible fighter, a fearsome warrior. Even if you’ve improved a bit… you can’t compare to him… not with your ordinary skills…”
My master spoke, breath heavy, probably feverish.
Right. Now isn’t the time to wallow.
Regretting is self-indulgence.
I must do whatever I can to ease her pain, even a little.
Wiping my tears with the back of my hand, I rummaged through the medicine box.
I pulled out a pill and offered it.
”Please take this and rest.”
She sniffed the pill, ears lowering in worry.
”If I take this… I won’t be able to do anything, right…?”
”You won’t do anything! Just take it and sleep, understand?”
The pill was both sleeping medicine and painkiller—
A mild narcotic.
It numbs the body and dulls the senses so pain fades, but it also dulls thought. Honestly, it’s a double-edged sword.
I wouldn’t want to take it unless absolutely necessary.
”Hn… Seriously… If I take this, I won’t be able to resist if you come for a night visit… What a terrifying disciple you are…”
”Just take it already! Don’t say nonsense now, you old hag!”
I pushed the medicine and a wooden cup of water toward her. If she refused, I was ready to force it down.
Maybe she sensed my resolve because my master…
”I have no choice… if anything happens… please protect me, alright?”
She reluctantly took the pill and swallowed it with water.
”Now, please just sleep.”
I wrapped her naked body in a large towel and carried her, cradled in my arms, to the bedroom.
”Oh… you’ve grown quite strong, haven’t you…?”
Unusually, she obeyed quietly. Fatigue and medicine pulled her into soft breathing. She was asleep before we reached the room.
* * *
It was late at night.
Of course, I was still nursing my master in her bedroom.
No matter how much the medicine dulled her senses, her body must be suffering considerable damage. Even now, though she was sleeping, she would occasionally let out small groans, sweating profusely.
All I could do for now was keep wiping the sweat off her body. I’d been tormented all day by my own helplessness.
…No, to be precise.
There was one thing I could do. No—something only I could do.
Life sharing.
If I used that magic, surely my master would get better.
I didn’t know if I could bring back her lost right arm, but at the very least, I should be able to ease her pain. Just like with Mama Vintenica.
However…
”I can’t imagine this stubborn master would want that…” I muttered to myself.
The ‘curse’ that Mama Vintenica once created—
even now, I was repeatedly told not to use it.
She surely wouldn’t take kindly to being forced to use it herself.
This person was twisted in so many ways, but if I said she’d want to regain her arm at the cost of my life, I’d firmly say no. In that regard, she was abnormally principled.
But—
From my perspective, using life sharing honestly didn’t seem like a big deal.
Of course, it would probably halt my growth for a while, but it wasn’t like I was going to die.
If it meant repaying the debt to my master who had trained me this far, I didn’t mind if it took a few more years to become an adult.
”Alright. Let’s do it,” I whispered, determination tightening my voice.
I was sure I’d get scolded later.
I might even get expelled.
But still, I wanted my master to get better.
”I’m sorry for acting on my own, Master,” I said quietly, “Please don’t get too angry, okay?”
Nodding firmly with resolve, I began to take off my clothes.
Notes:
• Volodya – A mysterious and powerful elf, never seen by Soyuz before, who seeks to purge Lucia. He exudes killing intent and is strong enough to intimidate Soyuz.
• Vintenica – She is a tall, slender magic user, appeared as the new mistress buying six boys, wearing a deep purple robe with her right half face hidden by a white mask, half beautiful young woman and half eerie with blood-red lips, mysterious and slightly frightening.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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