Ch.362Chapter 362 – After Revenge Ends

I opened my eyes wide in surprise.

In the moment I let my guard down, Beatrice’s lips were pressed against mine.

At the same time, I felt her tongue enter my mouth.

“Wait…”

Just as I was about to forcefully push Beatrice away in shock.

But as if she had anticipated my resistance, Beatrice had already reinforced her body with magic.

As I tried to twist my body to somehow break free.

I felt a slight discomfort in my mouth.

‘Magic?’

It was the same magic that Beatrice had wrapped around her body.

The magic condensed into something like a pill and entered my mouth.

And regardless of my will, I could feel the magic spreading through my body as it traveled down my throat.

While I was still in shock, Beatrice had already pulled her face away from mine and said with a playful smile.

“A surprise gift. How is it?”

“What did you just do to me?”

I asked, still feeling Beatrice’s magic spreading throughout my body.

There didn’t seem to be any discomfort anywhere, so it probably wasn’t harmful.

However, Beatrice answered with a slightly disappointed tone.

“At times like this, shouldn’t you say it was good, or comment on the taste of what you just ate?”

“Does magic have a taste?”

Beatrice sighed at my question.

“Deliberately changing the subject. Togu, that’s mean.”

“Explain it to me.”

“I should. Or I’ll get in trouble later.”

Beatrice said with a grin.

“Remember when I made skin contact to properly circulate the magic in your body before?”

“I remember.”

After we started our voyage, my magic flow became unstable, and Beatrice had fixed it.

At that time, she had grabbed my hand and pressed herself against my body.

“This is similar. Simply put, I inserted my magic into your body, and as the magic spreads, I can examine your body.”

“So that’s why I felt the magic spreading.”

“Yes. However, to do this, I needed to have you absorb my magic, and the easiest way is through the mouth, right?”

Since it’s where we eat food, Beatrice explained quietly.

“That’s why I used this method. Sorry for startling you.”

“Next time, explain properly before doing it.”

I grumbled slightly to Beatrice.

And hearing my response, Beatrice grinned and said.

“So if I explain first, you’ll accept it without resistance?”

“…Isn’t there any other way?”

“No.”

Beatrice answered firmly.

Somehow, it felt like she was lying.

I should press her a bit more.

“Are you sure there’s no other method?”

“Well, there is another passage we could use…”

As soon as I pressed her, she admitted there was another way.

Good thing I asked.

Beatrice grinned and said.

“Just so you know, it’s a passage on the completely opposite end from the mouth. Are you okay with that?”

“I guess there really is no other way, as you said.”

As Beatrice said, the mouth was the only passage.

There was no other method.

Beatrice laughed as if she found it amusing.

“Anyway, give it up. …And consider yourself blessed.”

“…Right.”

I felt a bit less energetic to respond, so I answered halfheartedly.

The faces of Eve, Sera, and Chris began to appear in my mind one after another.

‘…Somehow I feel like I’m doing something I shouldn’t to those three.’

Feeling apologetic toward them, I let out a light sigh.

…Come to think of it, the fact that I can think of three people in this situation probably means I’m quite problematic myself.

“Well, enough with the joke trading. I should tell you the examination results, right?”

“Please do.”

It seemed the effect was definite, as the results were already available.

Beatrice wiped the playfulness from her face and continued with a serious expression.

“To sum it up, your magic should flow stably for a few days. It’s like the state you were in before your body started breaking down—when your body was dying but your magic flowed well.”

“So it’s okay for me to move around?”

“Yes. Your overall condition is fine. The nun girl seems to have helped you recover a lot.”

Beatrice nodded as she spoke.

“Even now, holy power can be detected in your body. Considering the time and healing arts, it would be normal for no holy power to be detected in your body. I can’t even imagine how much effort the nun girl put in.”

“I see.”

Beatrice chuckled at my response.

“Well, I’m a mage, so I don’t know everything about holy power. I’ve studied more than most people, so I have some knowledge. I can’t deny there might be secrets of holy power I don’t know, but this is certainly outside common sense.”

“I suppose so.”

Still, since Chris had poured an enormous amount of holy power into me at that time, it seemed entirely possible that the results would differ from what Beatrice knew.

Unless, as she said, there were other secrets to holy power.

“But.”

Beatrice said quietly.

“The problem is, it hasn’t been that long since you received that treatment, yet there are already signs that problems might arise.”

“Signs?”

“Yes. You might not notice, but there are some organs and muscles showing slightly irregular movements.”

Beatrice said quietly.

“There won’t be any problems for a few days. You’ll be in a healthy state. Even so, your body uses dragon magic, right? You probably won’t even feel it if your body condition deteriorates a bit. At most, you might feel some fatigue in the morning if your condition is really bad?”

But, Beatrice quietly continued.

“But after those few days, your body condition will significantly worsen. Your magic will become unstable again. …I think the nun girl and I will need to stabilize your body periodically.”

“…I see.”

Beatrice took a deep breath and said quietly.

“…And while it’s a few days now, I think the interval might gradually shorten.”

“……”

“No matter how hard the nun girl and I try, we can only buy you a little more time.”

Beatrice spoke slowly, as if making sure I heard her.

Looking at her, I asked.

“Is there any way to improve my condition, even a little?”

“Without a fundamental solution, there’s no answer. …But if you want to improve your condition even a little, it really depends on where we go next.”

Beatrice looked at me and said.

“On that island where the Red Order of Knights was created. If there’s information about your body and related facilities or medicines left there… by using them or recreating them and adjusting as much as possible, we could make your body a bit more comfortable.”

That would certainly be no small achievement, but at the same time, that’s all it would be, Beatrice added.

No matter how hard they tried or how lucky they were, all they could do was extend the grace period.

In the end, to recover this body, the only way was the hero’s awakening that Lumen had told me about before.

“It can’t be helped.”

“Togu.”

“Whatever happens, I have to struggle until the end.”

I said quietly to Beatrice.

“Everyone is trying so hard for me; I can’t just give up and collapse.”

“…I’m glad you’re being positive.”

Beatrice said softly.

And after a moment, I cautiously opened my mouth while watching Beatrice’s expression.

“Let’s stop talking about my body. Let’s think about something pleasant.”

“Like what?”

“Like, when we get to the research facility, we’ll find everything we need?”

I smiled at Beatrice as I spoke.

“All the materials you said we need, the facilities, and even clues to cross dimensions and return home. Everything will be there.”

Logically, the chances are low.

Still, it’s better to stay positive and think there’s a possibility than to be pessimistic from the start.

“You’re dying, yet your thinking is so positive.”

“Isn’t that better than being depressed?”

I smiled lightly at Beatrice.

Soon, Beatrice smiled lightly too.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s stay positive.”

“Let’s do that.”

Beatrice smiled softly.

It wasn’t the fierce smile from before, but a gentle one.

‘The atmosphere has definitely softened a lot lately.’

Of course, it hadn’t been that long since we left Florence and the kingdom, so it might just be a temporary change.

But it was true that the atmosphere had softened considerably in those few days.

And although it might not seem that different at first glance, I felt that Beatrice was approaching me more favorably.

‘…Has she become more relaxed now that her revenge for her uncle is over?’

She was definitely different from before.

I wondered what would happen to her if her revenge against Somnus was completed.

I suddenly became curious.

“Beatrice.”

“Yes?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

Beatrice looked at me.

“If, just hypothetically.”

I asked while looking at Beatrice.

“If you succeed in getting revenge on Somnus, what will you do?”

“Honestly, I’ve never thought about it.”

Beatrice answered immediately.

“…As I said before, there was a time when I was so desperate and anxious for revenge that my vision became extremely narrow. Like teenage girls, you know.”

“Do people go through puberty at your age?”

“Togu. Sometimes you just need to go along with what your big sister says.”

Beatrice glared at me slightly as she spoke.

“Anyway, yes. …I’ve never thought about what comes after.”

“Really?”

Beatrice fell into deep thought.

Then, she quietly took out a cigarette from her pocket, but seeing me, she gently put it back.

“Go ahead and smoke.”

“No, it’s fine. This is your room. You don’t like the smell of cigarettes, right?”

“That’s true.”

Even so, I had never really stopped Beatrice from smoking in the room until now.

She was too willful and usually wouldn’t listen anyway.

But now she voluntarily decided not to smoke.

Thinking this was a remarkable change, I looked at Beatrice.

And after staring at the floor for a while, Beatrice spoke.

“…What should I do?”

“About what?”

“Just wondering what I’ll do when it’s all over.”

After thinking about Beatrice’s words for a moment, I answered.

“Can’t you just do what you want to do?”

“I’m not sure what that is. …What a dilemma.”

“Then do something you like or find fun.”

“Like smoking? Drinking?”

“Something healthier.”

Beatrice fell into thought again and then sighed lightly.

It seemed she was having trouble coming up with ideas.

I quietly asked her.

“Let’s think of things one by one as they come to mind. How about researching magic? You seemed to have a knack for research.”

“That’s true. Magic is like sailing uncharted seas. Learning new knowledge is nice.”

“What about teaching? You seemed to enjoy teaching magic to Sera and history to me.”

“Now that you mention it, that was fun too.”

“How about being a coachman? You’re good at driving carriages.”

“Are you asking for trouble?”

Beatrice chuckled and said.

“Just driving carriages isn’t quite it… but traveling around while driving a carriage was kind of fun… ah.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Just, thinking about it, I seem to have had a lot of fun since I started traveling with you.”

Beatrice said with a gentle smile.

I smiled back at her.

“Maybe I should include continuing to travel with Togu.”

Beatrice smiled teasingly.

“Do as you please. Anyway, you can choose from what we’ve mentioned so far. Or all of them.”

Beatrice fell into thought again.

“It’s not as easy as it sounds.”

“Then try combining what we’ve mentioned so far?”

“Combining, huh.”

After thinking for a moment, Beatrice said.

“Come to think of it, where you live is an unknown space to me, right? I wonder if going there would be fun.”

I wondered how she came to that conclusion.

Still, if it was her own idea, I should respect it.

But there was one problem with that.

“What if you can’t come back?”

Just as I haven’t found a way to return from here, she might not be able to return here if she crosses over to my world.

Thinking about it that way, the risk seemed high.

But Beatrice just grinned.

“As a mage, I should be able to solve such problems.”

“…I see.”

Beatrice looked quite confident.

“I can’t do more right now without materials. Maybe I’ll make it my next research topic.”

Beatrice fell silent for a moment, then chuckled and said.

“Anyway, being with you, Togu, I’ve realized there are more things to do than I thought. I’m glad I won’t get bored.”

“Then you should thank me.”

“Thank you.”

I looked at Beatrice with surprised eyes as she thanked me so readily.

And Beatrice, with a gentle smile, bowed her head and said again.

“…Thank you, Togu.”

“…For what?”

“Everything.”

Beatrice said quietly.

And after a moment, she turned toward the cabin door.

“I’ve kept you too long. You should rest now, Togu.”

“I feel like I’m the one who kept you.”

“This is your room, so I’m the intruder. Get some good rest.”

Then, as if remembering something, Beatrice looked at me with a mischievous face.

“By the way, it seems the guild leader girl and Sera are plotting something. You might want to be careful?”

“What should I be careful about?”

“That, Togu, you should know better.”

Beatrice narrowed her eyes as she spoke.

“And next time, don’t try to erase the traces too thoroughly. It creates suspicion and makes people notice.”

“…Um.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep it a secret. Honestly, Sia has noticed too, so it’s practically an open secret.”

Beatrice grinned and said.

“Still, be careful not to let people outside our group find out. The crew might resent you, you know?”

“…I’ll be careful.”

I thought I had handled what happened in this room naturally, but it seemed Beatrice had noticed and just let it slide.

As I let out a small sigh, Beatrice, who had been smiling at me, quietly opened her mouth and said.

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

I nodded and stood up.

“Rest well, Beatrice.”

“Rest well, Togu.”

Beatrice waved her hand and left the room.

And playfully looking at me from outside the door, she said.

“If things get tough, dream of me?”

“Get going already.”

I heard a giggle once.

Then I sensed Beatrice quickly returning to her room.

+

Shortly after leaving Kei’s room.

Beatrice lay down on her bed.

“…Phew.”

Looking up at the ceiling, Beatrice quietly grumbled.

“…I made a big move, but his reaction was so mild… Has he become more experienced already?… I’ll need to take time to win him over… But more than that, the first impression was too… How do I overcome that…”

Beatrice continued thinking with a sigh.

“…After the revenge is over, huh.”

Quietly recalling what Kei had said, Beatrice spoke softly.

For now, she hadn’t decided what to do.

More precisely, she had been postponing something she should have decided long ago.

‘…Various things came up, but I can’t do anything grand right away.’

Whether starting research at a magic tower, becoming a teacher or professor,

Or continuing to travel with the current group.

Any of these appealed to Beatrice.

‘…What should I do to keep things this way?’

After thinking for a moment, Beatrice cleared her throat and got up.

“Alright. Instead of starting with something grand, let’s prepare step by step from now on.”

Beatrice said quietly.

But what to do?

As she was thinking, a thought suddenly crossed her mind.

“Come to think of it, Togu doesn’t like the smell of cigarettes.”

He hadn’t said much about it, but he had made it clear that he disliked it.

Beatrice quietly nodded.

“I’ll quit smoking.”

As she set her first small goal,

And gradually crystallized a vague dream in her mind,

Beatrice slowly surrendered herself to sleep.