episode_0096

10 minutes before the disturbance occurred.

When Lian rolled up her sleeves and the prepared meal began to be served in the restaurant, hungry hyenas gathered without a call, even though the restaurant was not called.

As everyone had to gather to start the meal, those who were working elsewhere rushed down to the restaurant upon receiving urgent communication. When Lian placed the last dish on the table, most of the officers who were at headquarters took their seats in the restaurant.

“When will the boss arrive?”

“Ugh, I’m hungry.”

Even if other officers left their seats, since the banquet could only begin when the boss started eating, the officers swallowed nervously and began asking each other about the boss’s whereabouts.

The conversation, which started with light questions, gradually grew louder. This was because no one had seen Noah all day.

The commotion grew, spreading confusion outside the restaurant as time passed, and the officers’ faces grew paler.

In a situation where the headquarters had been attacked not long ago, the sudden absence of the boss had a different meaning.

While Lian, who had been waiting for Noah on one side of the restaurant, anxiously looked towards the entrance, some officers sitting in the restaurant got up and started searching for Noah in earnest.

When the restaurant was half-empty, a white book flew in from outside the door.

“Oh..! Julianna!”

Due to the urgent situation, Lian called out for Julianna without caring about the surrounding gazes. The anxious officers, who had heard about Julianna through Noah, did not find Lian strange.

Rustle.

A book unfolded in front of Lian, revealing Julianna inside. Perhaps because the book was not made transparent, others could also see the unfolding book. However, Julianna’s appearance seemed indistinct.

“I came to look for Noah slowly… and here he is.”

Julianna scanned the chaotic restaurant, arms crossed. Lian spoke urgently.

“Julianna, do you know where Noah is?”

“Yes, I know.”

Julianna lightly waved her hand, creating a white sphere in the air. A large sphere, containing only Lian’s upper body, moved towards Lian.

“Huh?”

Looking inside, they saw Noah holding a sword in a dense forest, with monsters rushing towards him. Just as they stared wide-eyed at Noah, the white sphere suddenly dispersed like smoke and disappeared.

“As you can see, Noah is fine. Think of it as moving to another space temporarily for training.”

“Oh, then it’s safe?”

“You could say that.”

“When will he come back?”

“As early as tomorrow… or within a week at the latest?”

As Lian and Julianna continued their conversation, the officers fell silent. They quickly realized that Lian had found out the boss’s current location.

“Phew… That’s a relief.”

As Lian breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed his expression, the officers couldn’t help but run towards Lian.

“Hey! Where is Noah right now?”

“He’s safe, right?”

“Where did he go that you’re asking when he’ll be back? Did he go far?”

Overwhelmed by the flood of questions, Lian hesitated, stepped back, and raised both hands.

“If I say everything at once, you won’t understand what I’m talking about. First, I’ll tell you the information I’ve learned.”

After calming down the excited people, Lian explained that Noah had moved to a training area for training purposes and would return within a week.

“Oh, is that so?”

“Tell me in advance and leave…”

“The boss always has those times.”

Thanks to Noah’s past, where he treated his subordinates like crazy, they easily believed and passed over the fact that he left without a word for training. It was not the first time Noah had left for training.

As the atmosphere calmed down, the long-awaited meal began. Those who had rushed out to find Noah belatedly returned to the restaurant and hastily started their meal.

Lian looked at the subordinates with satisfaction, like a grandmother looking at her grandchildren, and continued the meal.

***

Two days had passed since Julia heard that Noah had left for training. During this time, I finished treating the subordinates and started treating people from the external headquarters.

While the major attack took place at the main headquarters, there were several small attacks at the external headquarters as well. The forces at the external headquarters were much weaker compared to the main headquarters, so even though there were no fatalities, there were quite a few seriously injured.

Lian put on thick clothes around her abdomen to heal multiple people, choosing dark-toned clothes. She even showed meticulousness in preparing spare clothes.

Since the blood-soaked clothes could be sent to the laundry room along with other patients’ clothes, no one noticed that Lian had to bring the wounds onto herself to treat them.

After spending the whole day treating the injured at the external headquarters infirmary, Lian staggered from an unknown sense of fatigue.

“Ugh… my head is pounding.”

It felt inconclusive to attribute it solely to excessive use of strength. Lian’s gaze fell on a patient groaning in pain.

“That black mass…”

At the end of his gaze was an unknown mark staining the area near the patient’s wound black. Not all patients had it, but about one in ten had traces that seemed like some kind of fluid around their injuries.

It seemed to be a curse-like force, disappearing cleanly each time healing was used, so they didn’t pay much attention to it.

The black spot began to bother me when I coincidentally treated three people in a row with black spots. My head felt dizzy and my vision shook slightly. Like motion sickness.

At first, I thought it was just fatigue… and lightly dismissed it, but as time passed, the frequency of feeling dizzy increased.

In this situation, the most suspicious thing was obviously the oddly shaped black spot.

“Could there be a problem when I bring that wound onto my body?”

That was the only thought that came to mind immediately. It was uncomfortable, but I couldn’t just leave the patient with the black spot alone.

“My head hurts, but it’s temporary, so… ”

If I kept hurting, I would be fine by the time I saw the next patient. It was annoying, but not irritating enough to abandon a sick person.

So another day passed, almost treating all the patients in the main building.

” – ”

Some incomprehensible words began to echo in Lian’s ears. It was like hearing someone’s voice underwater, muffled and yet possibly understandable if one listened closely.

“What is that sound?”

Lian often zoned out trying to focus on that sound.

“If you’re tired, take a break, wizard.”

“That’s right. You’ve pushed yourself too hard.”

Those who had been treated by Lian thought of him not as a healer but as a wizard. The way wounds healed just by his touch was very similar to the healing magic commonly used by wizards.

Lian lightly smiled at the worrying glances pouring in from around her, saying it was nothing.

“Is it because of lack of sleep? Since there are fewer patients. Let’s sleep in tomorrow.”

Lian told Lily that she planned to sleep in tomorrow and would be late for work.

“Then don’t come out tomorrow and rest well. Thanks to you, there are no urgent patients.”

“But…”

“Huh? Do you want me to put on shackles?”

“Oh, no…”

With a bright smile, Lily held back harsh words, leaving Lian no choice but to feel guilty.

Being driven out of the room earlier than usual, Lian felt exhaustion crashing over her like waves.

“…I am definitely tired. Let’s quickly wash up and get some good sleep.”

Lian mechanically washed up with vacant eyes before crawling into bed.

“–”

As her mind grew fuzzy, incomprehensible words echoed loudly in her ears. It sounded like drumming or even a woman screaming.

Lian blinked slowly, soon slipping into a deep sleep.

***

Thump, thump, thud.

Somewhere, a sound like drumming could be heard.

Thump, kwoong, thud.

No, this was completely different. It was the sound of a living being in motion, like a heartbeat, thunderously pounding in her ears.

Lian slowly opened her eyes. She was naked. She felt as though her soul had been stripped bare.

“Where… am I?”

In a daze as if waking up after a long time, Lian looked around. It seemed like outer space. No, it just looked that way.

Looking down at herself, she saw a familiar body. An unadorned, naked human body. Lian didn’t feel embarrassed or strange. It just seemed like her own body.

Losing interest in her body, Lian gazed into the space-like area.

It didn’t quite resemble outer space because the stars that should have filled it were barely visible. Only occasional twinkling stars in the vast darkness.

As she blankly stared into space, something began to appear at the edge of her vision.

“-”

“Oh, that sound again.”

The incomprehensible sound clung to her ears once more.

“-”

“-”

“- -”

Lian furrowed her brow in thought.

“What on earth are they saying?”

Just as Lian sincerely wanted to understand the strange words echoing in her ears…

“Ahem.”

“…!”

“Listen to my words.”

A creepy yet eerie voice filled with reverence pierced Lian’s mind.