IBWCD 44

Chapter 44

She clasped her hands together, as if scraping every last ounce of healing power from her body, and channeled.

Her temples burned. Her whole body felt like it was on fire, and she couldn’t even scream anymore.

A swirl of holy light enveloped her tiny body as she fell to her knees.

A harsh wind whipped her straight, dazzling silver hair into the air like the Milky Way, lighting up the darkness.

Slowly, her eyes opened, white light flashing in them.

Then, finally, a flash of light emanated from her outstretched hands as she and Kalian tangled in unison to grab the falling Mors.

Paat-!

It was as if the Goddess of Light had materialized.

The holiest and most corrupt pillar of light in the world fell from the sky and enveloped Kalian and Mors as they struck a final blow at each other.

Thud!

The light spread out like a protective shield, stirring up dust in all directions before finally dissipating.

And after a terrifyingly still silence.

Passt-!

The gate twisted and began to dissipate over the gloriously oxidizing body of Mors, dusted with jewel dust.

The whole spectacle came slowly into her vision, like a frozen scene.

“Ha, ha.”

‘I did it.’

Shuddering, Evelyn stared down at her hands in disbelief, then shook her head.

As if the disturbance a moment ago had been an illusion, the once-black sky was now clear.

And then.

*Cough* *Cough* *Cough*

A sickening sensation flipped her stomach, and blood gurgled in her throat. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt her throat tighten.

“Evelyn!”

In her slanted vision, she saw the silhouette of a man rolling toward her in slow motion.

In the silence, as if the world had stopped, she remembered the moment she’d fallen into his arms and they’d ridden together.

The way he had supported her, like a tree firmly rooted in the earth.

The sound of his heartbeat and the cool scent of his body when her back was against his chest.

Yeah, it wouldn’t be so bad.

Dying for this man.

Her loose tunic flapped wildly in the dusty breeze. Evelyn sank to the ground, blood pouring from her nose and mouth.

She was dead.

* * *

The plague and the unexpected devastation rocked the town of Litchev and all of Parminion, but recovery was swift.

With the destruction of Mors, the remnants of the plague were washed away, and the magic that had tainted the Empire’s most prosperous trading port was cleansed.

It was all thanks to the woman.

The woman, lying dead on her bed.

Kalian reached out and gently stroked the woman’s face, pale as a corpse.

“Evelyn.”

Five days ago, Kalian had rushed into Parminion Castle, scooping up the bloodied woman in his arms.

“Open the gates! Anyone who stands in my way will not survive!”

The knights, seeing the Grand Duke with his face contorted like a yachtsman’s and the woman in his arms, gave way without a word of restraint.

It was some time later that they realized they had the Duke of Parminion’s permission.

The people of Parminion Castle hailed the grand duke and his knights as heroes for saving them from the polluted land.

Not surprisingly, they were given the best bedrooms in the castle, an outbuilding to house the entire order, and an abundance of food and supplies.

But none of the Templars, including Kalian, were pleased with the miracle of Litchev.

Their attention was focused solely on the woman before them.

If it weren’t for her, the blame for the disaster would have fallen squarely on the Guardian’s shoulders.

The guilt and debt felt by the knights who had unknowingly criticized her behind her back was indescribable.

They could only hope that she would wake up soon and silently help restore the estate.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

“May I come in?”

Kalian opened his eyes, realizing it was morning, and a muffled voice made him enter.

The familiar red-haired councilman entered the room and began to examine Evelyn’s condition.

Kalian watched in silence, feeling helpless to do anything about it, and let out a sigh that seemed to boil up from the depths of his lungs.

“How are you feeling today?”

The man whose long, delicate fingers had been tracing the nape of Evelyn’s neck and other parts of her body looked up.

Count Leonhard Bernard.

Unlike most councilors, he could read the flow of magic in the body as skillfully as the head of a family that had run a medical academy in another country for generations.

Without this ability, the young councilor, who was also close to Matthias, would not have been allowed anywhere near Evelyn’s bedroom.

He took advantage of the silence to get lost in his thoughts.

After a quick glance at his notes, Leon reassured him with an expression as bright as his healthy-looking coppery complexion.

“Her breathing and heartbeat are both normal. If she’s not waking up now, it’s because she stretched her magic to the limit, and her weakened body has instinctively chosen to rest for a while.”

“You mean there’s a chance that if I forcefully replenish her magic power, she might wake up?”

“Hmm, it would take more than just one person’s power to replenish this much depleted magic, it would take a half-dozen wizards from the Magic Tower.”

The arrogant wizard does not meddle in the affairs of men.

But moving the tower in the north was a piece of cake for Kalian.

As if reading his thoughts, Leon scratched the back of his head and added with a soft smile.

“But I would recommend natural healing. I think it will aid in the young lady’s recovery. Forcing her to fill up on magic can weaken her body…”

“I know.”

Of course, Kalian intended to do just that.

Evelyn didn’t know how to rest on her own.

If she could rest like this, it would be good for her.

“I’m only asking out of frustration, since she shows no signs of waking up.”

Furthermore, in order to replenish her magical energy, he needs to make contact in some way, and the Mages were madmen who would forcibly read the magical energy in their opponents’ bodies and use it for research.

‘Even Evelyn’s eyes will roll, since she can turn magic into energy.’

It’s better not to bother. To do that, he had to keep her powers as hidden as possible. That was the conclusion he’d come to over the past five days.

“Damn it.”

Sighing inwardly, Kalian rubbed the stiffness in his neck from lack of sleep and made his way to the window.

Bright sunlight illuminated the vast expanse of land.

The manor, so desolate only a few days ago, was bursting with life.

But he still felt bored and free.

Kalian closed his eyes for a moment, scanning the landscape before him absentmindedly.

“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my life,” he said, “and no great natural wonder has ever moved me so much.”

He turned his head at the sudden voice, and Leon was staring down at the peacefully sleeping Evelyn.

Not detecting any impurity in his gaze, Kalian nodded in agreement.

Then he spoke in a low, hushed voice.

“Secrets must be kept.”

Kalian instructed the knights who witnessed Evelyn use her power to keep it to themselves.

Thus, those who watched from afar only knew the light from the sky as a blessing from the gods.

“Yes, if it’s for the lady.”

But he couldn’t fool Leon’s eyes.

He read her magic at full strength and recognized Evelyn as the miracle worker.

“I wonder if this is really for her.”

His mind racing, Kalian turned back to the window.

The scene he had witnessed five days ago flashed slowly through his mind.

The translucent, opal-colored pillar of light that had swept across the devastated battlefield had been a sight to behold.

Another moment, a pillar of light from the sky enveloped his body and tickled his heart.

Clean blood flowed from his corrupted heart, his wounds were healed, and warmth returned to his chilled body.

There was more.

The condition of the knights, who had been consumed by the dark magic and wandered off into oblivion, as well as the patients in quarantine, also improved noticeably.

It was as if a faithful intangible force beyond human comprehension had swept through the village.

But…

‘I shouldn’t have let her use her power.’

Every time he thought of her collapse, a sense of failure to protect the woman by his side again consumed him.

“What can I do to make sure this never happens again?”

He looked down at his rebuilt estate and thought to himself.

“Good night.”

Leon’s silent exit was followed by someone else. A woman who worked as an assistant to the Count’s physician.

Count Bernard’s sister, Reah.

She claimed to be Evelyn’s assistant on behalf of the castle’s hired help. It would be better for Evelyn’s sake, Kalian agreed.

“These are all gifts for you, my lady.”

A silver tray with a trolley of letters, a frozen doll, and a handkerchief of coarse cloth was placed on the trolley Leah had brought with her.

Kalian glanced at it and asked, his voice completely different from the one he’d used with Evelyn.

“What gift?”

Evelyn had insisted on quarantining the infected through Reah, who had left earlier.

Kalian, who had glimpsed the story that it had prevented a second wave, jerked his chin slightly.

“Leave it.”

“Let me… clean her up and then I’ll go.”

Reah set the basin she’d brought on the bedside table and dipped a soft cloth into the water.

As the tightly woven cloth scrubbed Evelyn’s delicate flesh, Kalian picked up the few letters on the tray.

Most of the illiterate Commoners had expressed their gratitude in drawings, but one message stood out from the rest.

“What is a leather mask?”