Chapter 72 – Rest (1)

I gazed at Kalt’s fallen sword.

Slowly, I turned my gaze.

I looked down at Noah.

I stared at the smiling Noah.

Her pulse grew fainter.

Her breathing slowed.

Her body, revealed as the blood crust fell away, was… horrifying.

“No-Noah…?”

Noah’s body no longer bled. It was eerily still, as if there was no more blood left to shed.

I couldn’t touch her. Afraid she might crumble at my touch, I could only watch.

Her fading pulse stopped. Her slowing breath ceased.

At that moment, that voice echoed in my mind again.

[Our Noah is amazing, isn’t she?]

[So brave, so incredible, so precious.]

The eight pairs of wings spread behind my back dissipated, seeping into Noah’s body. [‘Memory’ flowed in.]

[I don’t know what will happen next.]

[But if it’s Noah we believe in.]

[I think she’ll stand up again.]

[So… now it’s your turn.]

[Please take care of the changed future.]

[Oh, and… check Yuria’s pocket.]

[Well then, see you next time?]

The voice, familiar yet unheard before, disappeared with an unsettling laugh.

Her twisted limbs returned to normal. Her skin, which had seemed roughly stitched together, smoothed out. The shape of her bones became more defined. Color began to return to her face.

[Ah, right… her hair is important too.]

Even her shortened hair slowly grew longer.

“Hey, Rubia… how did you do that?” Charlotte’s shocked voice came from behind.

“S-Sis? Can Noah… can she live? Huh? Now… everything’s back to… normal…” Hephaestus’s hopeful voice trembled.

“…Priestess.” Yuria’s resolute voice rang out.

Check Yuria’s pocket?

I turned to look at Yuria.

In her hands were bottles filled with purple liquid.

“Huh? Yuria, you had elixirs too?!”

“Oh! This is what I drank before!! Right, Master?!”

“El… ixir?”

The liquid looked identical to the elixir Luchi had given me.

But Yuria didn’t nod.

“It’s an elixir, but… not a ‘complete’ one.”

Wetting her dry lips, Yuria spoke quickly.

“Given the situation, I’ll be brief. This is a modified elixir made from a plant called Eliximona. I made it… Its effects are almost identical to the original elixir, but there are side effects.”

“Side effects…?”

“Yes. For instance… weakness after consumption, decreased intelligence, reduced social skills… or physical changes like becoming smaller or shorter… It won’t kill you, but there are various side effects—”

If Noah becomes weaker… I can take responsibility.

If her intelligence drops… more than now…? I’ll take responsibility for this too.

Social skills… well, they’re already at rock bottom, so that’s fine.

If she becomes smaller… that doesn’t matter either. Even if she gets shorter… it probably won’t make much difference…

“Well… given her current state, taking it is definitely the right choice.”

While I was lost in thought, Yuria finished speaking and stood up abruptly, walking towards Noah.

She gently tilted Noah’s head back.

And began pouring the modified elixir into her mouth.

After emptying both bottles,

She channeled divine power into Noah’s body to check her condition.

There were no signs of internal injuries.

No other problems seemed apparent.

“She seems… okay.”

As I managed a small nod, sighs of relief erupted around me.

Hephaestus collapsed beside Noah, crying and wailing. Charlotte slumped down, a crumpled magical herb clenched between her teeth.

“The side effects will likely appear within a month. Obviously, until then, she should rest as much as possible. Given what’s happened, I’m sure Ursphere will treat us well… so there’s no need to worry.”

Yuria continued her explanation while puffing on her magical herb.

“Yeah. That bastard Kalt, just the bounty on his head is huge. If they try to cover this up, I swear I’ll use the full authority of the Imperial family to crush them. I’ll make sure they pay.”

“What? There’s a bounty too?”

“Of course. He killed the entire Imperial Knight Order and fled. Plus, I’m a princess. Rubia’s a priestess. That asshole tried to kill us both. Forget the bounty, they should be showering us with rewards. I’m definitely telling Dad about this.”

Charlotte discarded her used herb irritably and pulled out a new one as she continued.

“Anyway… Rubia. What exactly is Noah?”

“Huh…?”

As I carefully cradled Noah, Charlotte poked her cheek repeatedly and spoke.

“No, I mean, it’s weird. Yuria and I are platinum-ranked… barely, but still platinum, and we couldn’t land a single hit. But Noah’s attacks… they worked. Plus, that last thing we saw… damn, it still gives me chills… Kalt dodged all our attacks, but Noah’s sword cut through.”

“That’s… true.”

I brushed aside Noah’s messy bangs, recalling that scene.

Noah, cutting through Kalt’s body shrouded in black mist, surpassing the death that covered the sky.

I had thought it was the Fragment’s effect, but that final attack hadn’t even used the Fragment’s power.

She hadn’t even used the greatsword.

She had simply… cut Kalt with that old sword.

Even if it was the sword that had cut Carpeng and the world, that was Luchi’s power, not the sword’s ability.

It was purely Noah’s power that had cut through.

“I don’t know either… I really don’t understand.”

I don’t get it.

I don’t understand any of it.

Too much happened in an instant.

I felt the Master’s overwhelming power. I despaired and crumbled.

And then I watched Noah overcome it.

Strange voices echoed in my head, then suddenly wings spread from my back.

Divine power raged wildly and grew stronger. It moved with its own will.

And it saved Noah.

If that voice was Lilith. If Lilith was the one who controlled my divine power.

Why let me hear her voice now? Why give power without asking for anything in return?

And why. Call Noah.

My Noah.

So familiarly. Praising her. Treating her so warmly.

Why… call her ‘our Noah’.

I don’t understand.

“But… that’s not what’s important right now, is it? Let’s focus on what we know for sure. Hephaestus found Yuria. Noah defeated Kalt, a Master. And including Noah, we… survived.”

Thanks to one girl.

“So… let’s think about how to repay her when she wakes up.”

“…I guess. Hah… I feel good, but… it sucks.”

“Yes… I’ll go down and make various nutrients and supplements. Hephaestus, stop crying and get up. Let’s go.”

“Sniff… hic- sniff… No-Noah sis… sob…”

“If you’re that worried, make her equipment stronger and give it to her. So stop crying and get up already.”

“Hic…”

“Everyone… you’ve done well. Now, let’s head down. We’ll talk more once we’re back.”

I forced a smile and stood up.

I smiled, but inside I was rotting away.

The path of blood stretching before my eyes.

We survived thanks to Noah’s sacrifice.

We’re standing here because Noah sold her life for us.

How could I possibly be okay?

I looked at Noah, sleeping peacefully in my arms.

How much pain she must have felt. How lonely and difficult the fight must have been.

I can’t even imagine. I dare not try to empathize.

I thought Charlotte’s presence would make us stronger. I thought we’d be fine with Yuria, a new force, joining us.

I thought that with my own strengthened power, I could protect Noah.

What utter nonsense.

Protect? What did I protect? Win? What did I win?

I who couldn’t do anything.

I who didn’t even notice the first strike, and ended up relying on Noah.

I who couldn’t do anything without Noah even at the very end…

My insides burn. My mouth feels dry.

My steps feel heavy.

From the start, my mindset was different. My resolve was different.

Noah.

Accepted death. Sacrificed herself for us.

Because I was weak. Because I was incompetent. Because I was feeble and fragile.

Maybe she had no choice but to do so.

I looked up at the sky. I recalled the black sun. I remembered the vision of the End I saw in the revelation.

I thought if I sacrificed myself, everything would be solved. I thought if I lived without doing anything, going with the flow. If I perished with the End, everything would be solved… or so I thought.

I was wrong. It was an arrogant thought.

If everyone I care about dies before the End comes. If the person I love dies, it’s all meaningless.

I lowered my head again and slowly began to walk.

I need to become stronger.

Physically and mentally stronger. So I can stand proudly by Noah’s side.

To do that, we need to get to Cartia as soon as possible, but… Noah needs rest right now.

For now… let’s go to Ursphere. And buy jelly.

A lot of it.

Buy all the jelly in the city.

And tie her up.

Tie her up in the room and confiscate… no, send her greatsword for repairs.

I need to take full responsibility.

From start to finish.

If I don’t do this, we might get caught up in another incident.

Lock her up, tie her down.

And take care of her.

I looked at Noah, sleeping soundly in my arms.

Her body was clean.

All her scars had disappeared.

Potions leave scars. A priest’s healing doesn’t leave scars.

My healing is the same.

But now, there’s not a single scar on her body… Forcefully holding back the tears that threatened to spill, I made a serious decision.

“Hephaestus, how long will it take to repair Noah’s equipment?”

“Um… we’ll have to remake the light armor from scratch, so… two days?”

“Be generous.”

“T-Two weeks—”

“Hephaestus?”

“Sigh… a month.”

“What about the greatsword?”

“…Two weeks…”

“I see.”

Until her body is completely healed, I won’t let her go, no matter what.

“Hey, Yuria. That crazy woman… she’s finally lost it.”

“What kind of language is that to use towards the Priestess, you ill-mannered girl?”

“Oh my? And what kind of language is that to use towards the heaven-sent Princess? You insolent girl.”

With Charlotte and Yuria’s bickering as background noise, I continued walking.

Then I felt a chill.

I slowly turned around to look.

The others seemed to feel it too, as everyone turned to look at the same spot.

The place where Kalt’s sword had fallen.

The place where the sword had vanished. The place where only a faint divine power remained.