Chapter 42
Despair and a Little Hope
For now, I tried harvesting the golden lycoris just as it was.
When I scooped up a whole clump together with its golden pollen, I realized that its roots were connected to the flower next to it.
“Could it be… all of these are connected…?”
How on earth was I supposed to bring back such a massive patch of golden lycoris—far too big to carry in both arms?
What did the novel say again? I was sure the heroine only brought back a single blossom…
“You only want to bring one back, right? Then you can just do this.”
Standing beside me, Elvin raised his sword and tried to cut the lycoris roots.
Wait—hold on. What are you doing all of a sudden?!
These aren’t normal lycoris!
“Stop!”
My warning came too late. Elvin drove his sword into the roots of the golden lycoris.
With a slice, the severed root instantly darkened and withered right before my eyes.
“W–what!?”
While Elvin stared in shock, I could only stand frozen, staring at the sight before me.
Like rippling waves, the golden lycoris began to wither from the point where he cut it, spreading in a chain reaction. The golden carpet was swallowed by black rot in a matter of moments.
“W–what? Why? But Mother brought hers like this too…”
Elvin’s trembling voice reached my ears.
But I couldn’t believe what was happening—I could only stand there, numb.
Because none of this ever happened in the original story.
Sure, the novel didn’t describe exactly how the flower was harvested, but there had never been any mention of the lycoris withering like this…
Timidly, I looked down at my palms.
There, miraculously, a single golden lycoris remained.
Thank goodness…!
Really—thank goodness!
But… could just one flower be enough to craft the antidote for mana overload?
Was I still destined to die before I even entered the academy after all…?
“I’m sorry, Leticia. I’ve done something unforgivable…”
Elvin apologized, but I didn’t have the strength to respond.
Instead, I found myself searching for my brother.
I saw him running toward me from where he had been standing with the Holy Sword.
“Leti!”
“Brother… the lycoris…”
With trembling hands, I offered him the one remaining golden flower.
My brother wrapped both my hands in his. His warmth soothed my shaking heart.
“It’s alright. We’ll make the antidote no matter what. I promise.”
When my brother said it… I could believe it.
Because my brother would never lie to me.
So—so…
As tears overflowed, I looked up to see my brother biting his beautiful lips in frustration.
Just then, the ground suddenly trembled.
“This is bad. The magnetic field is collapsing. We need to get out.”
Holy Sword Lan scooped me up from behind.
Behind him, the cave was beginning to collapse with a rumbling roar.
“Hurry!”
At my brother’s call, Elvin—who had been kneeling in the field of dead lycoris—was pulled to his feet by Ian.
Wrapped in despair and the faintest glimmer of hope, we rushed back the way we came.
When we reached the wider area near the entrance, the narrow passage had already been completely blocked with fallen rocks.
Along with the entire patch of golden lycoris.
“To think… only this one survived…”
“I shall safeguard it. Fear not—I will not let it wither.”
Lan raised his hand, and the golden lycoris vanished.
My precious flower—!
But when I looked up, Lan didn’t seem worried at all.
And he had protected me when he was a sword, too.
So I would trust him—not just my brother, but Lan as well.
“Okay. Please take care of it.”
“Leave it to me.”
Lan gave me a faint, confident smile.
“Well then, we could exit normally, but it would be bothersome.”
“What do you mean?”
I asked reflexively, and Lan answered as if it were nothing at all.
“There are people fighting aboveground.”
Fighting?
Could it be those attackers from earlier again?
My brother headed for the icy staircase immediately.
“Wait. They’re aiming with bows.”
“I’ll drive them off. It’s not a problem.”
“I have a better method.”
Lan smiled brightly down at me.
“Let us use the young lady’s mana for teleportation.”
Switching into butler mode, Lan teleported all of us straight to the surface.
