Ch.90Adora (4)

Adora had suffered from heart disease in her childhood. However, she was able to survive after being treated by the Chancellor, who was a doctor at the time.

Though she survived, her body could no longer live freely.

“Kuhuk, kehak!”

Blood flowed out like a laminar stream. She tried to cover her mouth, but it was impossible with her hands tightly bound. Adora spat out bright red blood.

“Haa, haa.”

It finally stopped.

Could this be happening just because she briefly felt goodwill toward her enemies?

“What’s going on? What’s wrong with her?”

“Wait, wait. Something’s wrong.”

Tiria put down the bowl and rushed over. She poured all her healing divine power into Adora. Adora couldn’t die. She was the only one who knew the secrets of this island.

When Tiria placed her hand on Adora’s solar plexus, Adora groaned.

“Nngh.”

“There’s a strange energy here.”

It was where the heart was located.

“She must have had a chronic illness. Has it spread to her lungs? The damage to her bronchi is severe too. Her circulatory and respiratory systems are being consumed by mana of unknown origin.”

It was a symptom unknown even to Tiria, who had studied medicine. The Valkyrie and Riyo also looked serious. The blood Adora had spat out was extremely dark. It was so viscous that it resembled tar more than blood.

“What kind of disease could this possibly be…”

“It might not be a disease.”

Erich stepped forward.

“Let me check.”

Erich laid Adora down and placed his hand on her solar plexus. He slowly felt around her heart area, sensing the flow of mana.

Something was there.

Still faint.

He needed to feel it more clearly.

“Excuse me.”

Erich took the liberty of removing Adora’s shirt. Her slender, toned skin was revealed.

While Erich examined her, Adora had no time to feel embarrassment. It hurt. It hurt too much to even speak.

As Erich traced the magical traces, his fingertips touched something.

Round and lumpy.

It contained too much mana to be a simple tumor. The mass pulsated out of sync with her heart, emitting a murky energy.

[“Miyo.”]

[“Yes.”]

[“Remember what we discussed in class earlier?”]

Miyo nodded. She had already suspected it.

Erich stood up. Then, in a cold voice, he said:

“This person has a forbidden spell cast on her heart.”

Anti-Talisman. A magic that seizes and manipulates the organs of its victim.

Its cruelty is beyond imagination, enough to be included in the Magic Kingdom’s list of 101 forbidden spells. It targets vital organs like the brain or heart. The victim has no choice but to live as a slave until death.

Living as a slave means living according to the caster’s will.

If one doesn’t think as the caster wishes, the organ is constricted. In the Major’s case, her heart would be squeezed, causing excruciating pain.

“The caster harbors hostility toward the Holy Spirit Church and beastfolk. Even if the Major doesn’t want to, she’s being forced to share that anger.”

“So this woman has no free will?”

“Not entirely.”

Erich showed the Major’s gun.

“Why would a high-ranking officer carry an outdated revolver? And one with only a single bullet? It’s obviously for suicide. She’d rather take her own life than be killed by the forbidden spell.”

The single bullet in the chamber was clearly evidence of the Major’s free will.

“With this forbidden spell, the victim won’t suffer as long as they obey the caster. It’s similar to the slave markings of old, but much stronger.”

“So what do we do now?”

“Let’s put her to sleep first and think. She’s too injured to eat anyway.”

Without being told, Adora had already closed her eyes. She was breathing heavily. She mustn’t harbor unnecessary emotions toward these people. If she did, her heart would be squeezed again.

“If we keep the Major asleep, she won’t be violating the caster’s orders, so she won’t cough up blood. But this is just a temporary solution.”

“Isn’t there a way to treat her?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Wouldn’t sprinkling healing divine power help a little?”

“I think that’s our best option for now.”

Erich and Tiria put their heads together. Their discussion continued until late into the night. Either way, they needed to save Adora to escape.

Tiria explained medicine, and Erich explained magic. The two filled in each other’s knowledge gaps.

During this process, they discovered differences in their understanding of mana and Sephiron. Erich viewed mana and Sephiron as different states of the same element, while Tiria saw them as entirely different elements.

Mana was impure, and Sephiron was pure.

Also, mana was incomplete, and Sephiron was complete.

Tiria’s perspective aligned with the Holy Spirit Church’s doctrine. However, it was a belief she had to abandon to apply the treatment they had devised.

“If you view mana and Sephiron as different elements, it will be difficult for me to manipulate mana. We might end up with a mixture of what you’re trying to manipulate and what I’m trying to manipulate. This will be particularly evident at the microscopic level.”

“…”

A situation where one must question their faith to save a life.

Tiria pondered for a moment.

As a saint.

As a believer.

Which comes first, a person’s life or doctrine?

In the past, she might have chosen the latter. She had been blind, self-righteous, and trapped in empty fanaticism.

Now it was different.

“I understand.”

If breaking doctrine could save a life, that was surely the right path. The Goddess would certainly want such an attitude.

“I’ll follow your theory, Erich.”

Tiria decided to set aside her faith.

But in doing so, she was becoming a true saint.

***

Smack!

The Major headbutted my face. She panted and shouted:

“Who said I needed your help?”

I felt a salty taste and touched my upper lip. A warm liquid was flowing out. A nosebleed.

“The Chancellor’s orders are absolute. I’m following them of my own volition. I find the meddling of a traitor like you and that trash church’s saint disgusting.”

The Major glared at me with murderous eyes. She was controlling her emotions. The reason wasn’t hard to guess.

“Ugh.”

The Major collapsed, clutching her chest in pain.

“Are you alright?”

“Touch me and I’ll kill you.”

“Major.”

“As a fellow human being, it pains me to see a prisoner suffering. Is there anything I can do to help, even something simple?”

“Ha.”

The Major snorted.

“If you really care about me, be loyal to your country, Major Lohnstein. Untie me right now and bring me my gun. Then help me subdue those women. If you do, I’ll overlook what happened yesterday.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.”

“So that’s your answer? Fine. You’re finished the moment you return to the Magic Kingdom. Be prepared to be branded a traitor who sided with the enemy.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Then from now on, the Magic Kingdom is my enemy too.”

The Major looked dumbfounded at my statement. She must be wondering what this madman was babbling about.

“It’s a country that even hurts people like you. What’s the point of having such a homeland?”

“Are you insane?”

“The Magic Kingdom is the insane one. The more I think about it, there are too many strange things.”

I might hear the details if we save the Major. That’s partly why I want to help her.

“While surviving on this deserted island, I realized one thing. Whether I was a Valkyrie, a saint, or an engineer, I would have acted the same way in their position. They’re not inherently like that; the situation drove them to such extremes.”

“What philosophical nonsense are you spouting…”

“Isn’t it the same for you, Major? You don’t really want to be harsh to me. You want to think freely and live freely. I completely understand that you’re acting this way because you have no choice.”

“…Ugh!”

A stream of blood gushed from the Major’s mouth. She looked at me with bloodshot eyes, drenched in cold sweat.

“Shut up.”

“I’ll take that as agreement.”

“No, stop talking…!”

There’s no point in saying more. It would only worsen her chest pain. We can talk after she’s fully healed.

Until then, I have to push forward.

I prepared the rope that Riyo had made.

“What, what are you doing? Let go! Untie me!”

I forcibly laid down the struggling Major. I secured her tightly with vine ropes. This completes the preparation for treatment.

“Ms. Kasten.”

“I’m preparing now.”

The saint was checking the emergency kit the Major had brought. The kit contained many useful tools: painkillers, blood type testers, simple transfusion equipment, and more.

The Major’s blood type was AB. The Valkyrie and I were type O, and the saint was type A.

“What about Riyo?”

“Riyo is AB.”

“We’ll mainly use the Sergeant’s blood, and we’ll step in only in emergency situations.”

The Valkyrie and Riyo held down the struggling Major. Then the saint, with clean hands, removed the Major’s clothes layer by layer. The Major’s resistance intensified.

“Stop it! You crazy people—!! Give me back my clothes right now!”

“There’s a necklace. I’ll remove this.”

The saint handed me the Major’s necklace. When Riyo glanced at it, her expression rapidly crumbled.

“This, this is…”

A silver ring with eight inverted crosses embedded in it.

It was the symbol of the cult of rogue magicians who had inflicted terrible wounds on the fox sisters in their childhood.