“Yes, it’s serious, but nothing I can’t heal. It’s just that something was burrowed into his flesh that keeps preventing it from healing.”
So it’s not healed, then.
I furrowed my brow seriously. Then Lacius gently brushed my eyebrows with his thumb.
“The bleeding has stopped, and the wound seems to be healing. The Sun God’s power within me will take care of the rest.”
“… still. Before, you were hit by poisonous tranquillizing needles on my behalf, and you suffered because of it.”
“It wasn’t really painful. I just laid down for about an hour or so.”
Lacius tried to downplay it with a slightly embarrassed face. I couldn’t hide my worry and got on the camel.
“You should rest thoroughly once we get back. Her Highness, the Princess of Terran, is extremely worried about you.”
As Daphne finally settled, the camels began moving in a line. The Kun tribe’s territory was brightly lit, as if no one was asleep.
“You made it back safely.”
The princess greeted us first, leading the Terran nobles. I was sweating coldly and starting to feel dizzy, so it was fortunate that I was able to say my greetings as soon as we got off the camel.
“Your Highness, may I report to you tomorrow after a day of rest?”
Please, I desperately need sleep right now. The cold, which I had forgotten about in all the haste and frenzy of the day’s events, hit me hard as soon as I relaxed. I could almost feel how much of my lifespan I had used without having to count.
“I trusted you to be okay, and now that I see you’re alright, I’m content. Go get some rest.”
About the painting wizards who were captured by Fata-Morgana and what happened today. Lacius will tell her all about it. For now, I need to wash up, and then I need to sleep. Cat next to me also looked so scruffy that I couldn’t even look at it.
“Sister, don’t go away, stay here today. Please sleep next to Geisha’s house.”
“Yes, I will.”
Daphne gave us a new room for fear of another surprise attack or fight. I staggered to a place where luxurious blankets and various cushions were laid out.
“Wash… … uh… … need… … .”
Did I lie down on a comfortable bed or collapse? Either way, my eyes fluttered shut as I failed to keep them open. An indescribable feeling of extreme fatigue came over me.
* * *
There is no way the morning will be refreshing after waking up after having all kinds of random dreams. My whole body ached as if I had been made into a homemade pork cutlet, and my head throbbed as if I had been beaten. To top it all off, I felt uncomfortable because I slept without washing up. I got into the spacious bathtub and didn’t get out for almost two hours.
“Ah, it’s refreshing!”
And exactly two and a half hours later.
I had completely regained my strength thanks to the care I received from the people sent by the Kun clan, and I was now hungry. Lacius, who had washed up early in the morning and attended the meeting, had his shoulder seen by a physician, who rebandaged it.
“Lashin, are you okay?”
After my head cleared, I staggered to my feet and peered over his shoulder, trying to see his wound.
“Its no big deal. It’s nothing compared to the wounds I received on the battlefield.”
“It is nothing?! That was a pitch-black spear, and you bled a lot.”
“It didn’t hit any vital spots, so it’s fine. I’ll recover quickly.”
The fact that Daphne’s healing powers couldn’t fully cure it still worried me. Yesterday, I was too exhausted to think about it, but now I am anxious. Was he really okay?
Eventually, the physician finished his examination and left, leaving Lacius and me alone in the room. Lacius rotated his shoulder a few times and then reached out to caress my cheek.
“Rather than that, they said they would call the painting wizards to ‘Panja’ in half an hour to hear their stories.”
“Panja?”
“It’s like a central meeting place, but it’s arranged in a circle. People sit in a circle and talk.”
“Aha, I see.”
Daphne fell into the pit with us. Of course, I did a good job of finding an entrance and sending her back safely, but the fact that she disappeared right before his eyes must have made the chief of Kun very angry.
“Oh right, the bell. Where’s that bell with the Dragonas emblem?”
“I have it.”
“Let’s not show that.”
It’s better to keep some things hidden rather than reveal everything. After pondering for a while, I asked Lacius another question.
“Where is she? Number 782.”
“She should be resting with the other painting wizards.”
“I need to meet her before we go to Panja.”
I had questions about the bell and needed to ensure she kept her mouth shut about it.
“I will be back.”
As I walked out the door, a neat-looking Cat appeared, as if it had washed up in the spring. It was time to start digging into the past of Villlainess #4.
* * *
Number 782 was still being mean to me. But when I showed her the bell, she gritted her teeth and reluctantly started talking, unwilling to be controlled again. I picked out the key parts and asked her for clarifications.
“So, the painting wizards called the Demon of Scales Temple, ‘Paradise’? Because the only way to escape from Fata-Morgana is to terminate the contract. It’s a place that can make that happen, so it’s called paradise.”
“Yes.”
“And you thought that if you broke the Ancient Contract and lost your powers as painting wizards, Fata-Morgana would have no reason to hold you any longer and would let you go?”
“That’s right. We thought the power of the bell only applied to the painting wizards bloodline.”
“Why?”
“Because those damned god’s minions, the ones with the bird masks, were not affected.”
Oh, you’re talking about those weaklings.
In my opinion, Fata-Morgana was like puffed rice—looking big and impressive on the outside but hollow inside, crumbling easily with a bite. Except for that “god,” the rest seemed insignificant.
‘It doesn’t seem like they accidentally left a bell that could control the painting wizards… … .’
They must have some ulterior motive. Perhaps, as the fake Gaisha suggested, it was an invitation.
“Give me an accurate description of where you and I were trapped.”
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