Chapter 142
Out of nowhere, a searing pain started deep in her chest and spread throughout her body.
‘It hurts.’
Was it true that it hurt too much to scream?
It felt like a lie that she’d been fine all this time. Her whole body aches like she’d been beaten, and her whole body felt heavy.
Was it really this hard to breathe?
She tried to open her mouth to breathe, but her vision blurred.
‘I’m fainting.’
Even at this moment, a thought flashed through her mind.
‘[Wound Recovery Artifact for Mages] is so useless…’
At best, she thought, the artifacts she’d set aside for moments like this have all become pieces of trash.
Is it because it’s not a battle injury?
Her money…
***
Castle Locke’s usual quiet has been disturbed.
It was no surprise that the owner of Castle Locke was preoccupied with other things, let alone his pile of work, but Arellin had fallen!
An angel, a fairy, their Arellin, who had appeared out of nowhere and stolen the hearts of the vassals and users of Castle Locke!
Naturally, Castle Locke is in a panic.
They brought in a healer kidnapped from the Southern Empire’s tower, the High Priestess of the Temple, and the Imperial Physician of the Pythal Empire, but the situation didn’t improve.
No one could diagnose Arellin’s condition correctly, let alone cure her, or even alleviate her symptoms.
“The blessing prayer doesn’t work.”
“I’ve tried energizing spells and everything else, but nothing works. Energizing spells work the best, and they’re also efficient…”
“First we need to find out what it is, but I doubt you’ll be able to hold out until then.”
Their expressions were darkened by the presence of Duke Regent Ludwig, who was sitting next to Arellin and emitting a dark aura.
“Why is there no traffic?”
“It’s because…”
“Are you sure you treated her properly?”
“I, I did my best, I swear!”
The mage, now a licensed healer and practicing for less than two years, sobbed and shook.
Ludwig clicked his tongue at the sight of a healer who had run out of mana while casting energization magic again. The next arrow was aimed at the imperial physician.
“Physician, why are you not prescribing anything?”
“I don’t know the name of the disease yet, and I don’t know enough about the young lady’s condition to prescribe anything. If I rush to prescribe anything, I could make it worse.”
“So we’re just going to sit on our hands and watch?”
“No, we’re doing everything we can.”
The imperial physician trembled, as one who had dealt with Duke Regent Ludwig for so long, but he said what he had to say.
Finally, he turned his gaze to the High Chancellor. This time, however, the Minister was quicker.
“Duke Regent, are you aware of the long-standing illness of the young lady of Halbern?”
“An ailment?”
“It is quite a famous story in the Kingdom of Lemren. From a very young age, she has suffered from an unexplained illness, and even under the care of the most powerful man in the kingdom, High Chancellor Lehart, she has never been cured. There are even rumors that she is cursed.”
Ludwig’s eyebrows twitched at the mention of curses.
“Fortunately, it turned out not to be a curse, but the disease still persists, and Lady Arellin’s illness is being managed entirely by Halbern.”
“That means…”
“Yes, Your Excellency, it would be quickest to ask Halbern.”
Ludwig’s expression crumpled. His thoughts strayed from his displeasure.
Could this man be a spy for Halbern?
The High Priest of Lemren?
“I know you’ll find this unpleasant, but Lady Arellin won’t last long at this rate,” he spoke up, “and it’s a case we’ve been watching in Lemren for a long time. I hope you will make a wise decision before it is too late…”
The old cleric clung to Arellin’s side for a prayer of blessing, as if that was as far as he was allowed to go, a blessing that would only give advice and not work again.
A bright light emanated from him, but Arellin’s tiny body could not absorb any of it and washed it all away.
The fever, coughing, intermittent seizures, and cries of pain continued.
They tried fever-reducing medications, but they only brought the fever down for a short time, and then it would return. Nothing seemed to work.
“I don’t know what kind of medicine I should use, because her body is too weak, and if I use something stronger than it is now, the medicine might actually poison her…”
“Just do what you can.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
A nagging sense of impatience gnawed at Ludwig’s nerves, making him restless.
He had a backlog of work to do, and he didn’t care.
The pressure from the Pythal Empire, the pressure from Halbern with its troops on the border, the mysterious pressure from the tower, all of it scoffing Ludwig’s face was set in seriousness.
It was one thing to be sick, but quite another to see a child barely bigger than his own waist suffer.
He would rather be in pain himself.
Maybe it’s because he has been seeing her laughing and talking and running around and getting into trouble all these days?
It was so strange to see her lying there, so shabby.
She looks like she’s going to… Die right now.
Ludwig naturally assumed Arellin was healthy; he had heard of her illness, but had never thought of her as a sickly child.
But then…
A vague feeling of being transported back in time gripped him.
As if he had returned to the moment when Sione had turned her back on him through no fault of his own.
Back then, Ludwig had been arrogantly confident that he could undo everything and win Sione’s heart.
Now Ludwig was just afraid.
He was afraid of losing Arellin, too.
“Um… Mo…”
Her parched lips parted, searching for someone.
“… Mommy.”
His heart breaks at the tears that trickle down the corners of his eyes.
The nervousness and anxiety were still there, but it was now replaced by the fear of losing Arellin in vain, rather than the fear of having her taken from him.
‘The only trace of Sione left.’
Ludwig gritted his teeth.
Sione had said it wasn’t love, but if this wasn’t love, Ludwig didn’t know what was.
“Mehen…”
“…?”
Ludwig’s body froze at the familiarity of Arellin’s name. The name Arellin had spoken when she’d been looking for her mother.
‘She keeps saying she misses her mom.’
The jealousy that had dulled his mind spun quickly.
To think, the Archduke of Halbern had been imprisoned in a northern castle and hadn’t returned for six years. Even if he had bonded with Arellin, it couldn’t have been that strong.
So who could have raised Arellin during the Archduke Halbern’s long absence?
“Ha.”
His muddled emotions were quickly subdued.
Ludwig finally admitted defeat.
“Call Halbern. Arellin is sick.”
***
When Valar and the Knights of Saren entered Castle Locke, they were surprised by two things.
First, there were too few guards.
“What’s going on at Castle Locke?” they thought.
Second, the castle’s atmosphere was so sinister. As if something really had happened.
Their plan was to kidnap Arellin and return home.
They hadn’t considered the possibility of failure. The Knights of Saren were a force to be reckoned with, even if only by force.
But then.
“Lord, Lord?!”
Valar’s eyes widened as if he suddenly realized something, and he ran out of the castle.
‘No, it’s that lunatic, we’re here to infiltrate, and he’s drawing attention to himself like that!’
Jaren felt like he was going to lose his mind at the sight of his master.
‘Are you coming with me or not?’
After a moment’s hesitation, Valar disappeared from Jaren and the Knights of Saren’s sight.
Meanwhile, Valar, unconcerned with the knights behind him, ran on, hoping that my ‘hunch’ was false.
‘I thought you still had time.’
Was it because he’d only sent him the medicine, not taken it? Apparently, what he knew wasn’t what he felt.
With nervous steps, Valar traversed the eerily quiet night of Locke Castle and found Arellin’s room in no time.
All thanks to the cooperation of Duke Idikels, whom he had met upon entering the castle.
‘Arel.’
His instincts hadn’t been wrong. Her hair was damp with sweat, and she’d already been through a lot.
For now, the fever was gone, and the colorful breathing was peaceful. Even so, if she stayed like this, she’d get sick again.
Valar, carrying Arellin’s body, was just about to leave the room.
Thrrrr.
The blade aimed at Valar’s throat glowed coolly in the moonlight.
Ludwig, cloaked in darkness, warned Valar.
“Let go.”
