~ Chapter : 45 ~
Before I had introduced Rosio and allowed her to choose swordsmanship as her specialty.
“I just… wanted to be recognized by Your Ladyship. Like the Duke,” Camilla said faintly, barely able to open her eyes. She didn’t answer when I asked what had happened. Since her voice was barely audible, I leaned in closer.
“…Back at the house I used to live in, when Your Ladyship explained about the Duke, I… I was actually envious.”
Was she saying that appealing herself to Rosio had been so troubling that she still thought about it? Camilla was a heroine with abilities just as great as that.
“I… I actually praised Camilla to the Duke, you know? I spoke at length, even taking a breath while talking.”
“…Really?”
“Of course.”
Camilla faintly smiled. I didn’t know exactly what had happened here, but it was clear she had overexerted herself to satisfy my expectations.
I felt a twinge of guilt, as if I had somehow ruined Camilla.
“But Camilla, you said you want to become a Sword Master. A Sword Master is someone who draws out the power of the sword themselves.”
“…Yes.”
“Don’t seek the approval of others. Recognize yourself. From now on, I want you to accept yourself as much as I accept you.”
Once Camilla regained her strength, I wanted to show her just how remarkable she truly was—everything that no one had ever told her. But for now, the priority was helping her recover.
“Esmeralda, I’ll help too.”
“You?”
“If we redraw the magic circle, I’ll lend my power this time. That’s something I can manage.”
The spirit blinked its light beside Camilla. I followed its instructions.
With the spirit’s power combined, the glow around Camilla was stronger than before, and her complexion relaxed slightly.
“This feels different from the recovery magic before,” Camilla noticed immediately.
“Actually, the spirit is helping right now.”
“The spirit…?”
I had no intention of hiding the fact that a spirit was accompanying us from Camilla. After all, it should have been her, not me, who was connected to the spirit.
“We met in the forest today. I guess the rumors about lower spirits causing sudden gusts of wind were true. But please, keep it a secret for now.”
“Understood. So I can trust you, Esmeralda?”
Does she really need to check something so trivial now? No—Camilla had always been attentive toward me. She was just responding naturally because I had done what was expected.
“Of course. Don’t say anything more—it must be tiring. I just hope you recover quickly.”
Camilla’s injuries had improved somewhat, but I still didn’t feel at ease. Showing even a hint of distress would only make her notice my regret.
Camilla nodded lightly and, exhausted, soon fell asleep.
Even if I wanted to cast another recovery spell, my magic was depleted. I swiped my staff, but no light flickered at the tip.
Even with the spirit’s remaining power, my own magical energy was completely gone.
“Well, at least the urgent treatment is done. Thank you, spirit.”
“I’m glad,” it replied, wriggling. Though it had no face, it expressed emotion remarkably well.
‘Now… what do I do? How do we get back from here?’
Ah, the students had each brought a small firework when they departed. I searched Camilla’s clothes but found none.
‘Did she lose it?’
At this point, I had no choice but to rely on the spirit again. I folded everything except my sword and spoke earnestly.
“Spirit… I’m sorry, but can I ask one more favor?”
“What is it?”
“Can you inform Duke Agnis of the current situation?”
The spirit floated silently for a moment. I grew anxious and called it again.
“My name is Cyril.”
I blinked, momentarily confused by the unexpected introduction. Ah—now I understood. It had learned my name from hearing Rosio and me address each other, yet it had never formally introduced itself.
“I am Esmeralda Saint. I’ll introduce the rest later.”
“Good.”
After the introduction, the spirit glowed and quickly disappeared. Left alone, I finally exhaled.
“Haah.”
Another secret had emerged—one that must not be revealed. Camilla, who was supposed to become happier than in the original story, had nearly died.
It felt as though all this meddling in the original plot had forced the heroine onto an unforeseen path—my fault entirely.
Claudia had already moved far away from where Camilla was.
Iris, whom she admired, valued pride. Yet Claudia’s jealousy had blinded her—doing such a thing and still seeking recognition.
Camilla was not only a rival but also a citizen of the empire that needed protection. Leaving her behind impulsively now filled me with regret. Claudia paused mid-step.
“Claudia, what’s wrong?”
“You all stay here.”
Her friends looked at her uneasily.
“I made a unilateral decision to leave Camilla behind.”
Claudia brushed back her short hair and sighed.
“What? Think again. If you fire the fireworks now, it’s too late!”
“Yes, if they find out I left her, I might even get expelled.”
Despite her friends’ concerns, Claudia fired a firework into the sky. Reluctantly, her friends dispersed.
Soon, judges arrived, curious about what kind of ‘prey’ Claudia had caught. Seeing nothing around them, they looked at her in confusion. But the news she delivered was shocking.
“If you go about thirty minutes east-west from here, you’ll find Camilla, severely injured.”
The judges exchanged startled glances. Why hadn’t Claudia used the fireworks immediately?
When she admitted she didn’t know if Camilla was alive, their jaws dropped.
“What? How…?”
“That’s not important. First, we need to rescue Camilla,” said a more experienced judge, trying to remain calm.
“This is serious. One of us should report to Duke Agnis. Let’s bring more mages skilled in healing and teleportation.”
The judges conferred and devised a plan. One went to report to the Duke, while the others calculated the magic needed for movement and healing, then set off with Claudia to search for Camilla.
After the spirit had gone to summon Rosio, I wrapped my coat around Camilla and used magic to keep a fire going, maintaining her body temperature.
‘I’m glad I relearned the recovery spell from Rosio. If I hadn’t brought the spirit or learned the magic…’
The thought alone was terrifying. After confirming that Camilla had fallen into a deep sleep, I surveyed the surroundings and carefully climbed the slope where she had likely rolled down.
If we had to spend the night here, I planned to find something to eat.
There was a dead bear on the slope. I couldn’t get a proper look at it and averted my gaze. Then, I noticed unexpected tracks around.
The ground was messy with hoof prints—not likely from Camilla’s horse, given the chaotic directions.
‘Was there someone else besides Camilla?’
I couldn’t stay any longer, so I picked a few berries, probably raspberries, and descended. I decided to interrogate Camilla about what happened once she regained strength, sitting beside her in the meantime.
When Camilla groaned faintly, I touched her cheek. Her body heat had risen sharply since before.
I grabbed my staff and drew a magic circle, but confirmed that I had no remaining magic. Fear gripped me, imagining what might happen if something went wrong.
“Camilla, Camilla! I’ll lend you my staff—cast the recovery spell!”
But Camilla seemed unable to hear me. And her depleted strength made it impossible for her to use magic.
‘What do I do… she was fine just a moment ago.’
I could only keep drawing meaningless magic circles, my fear making my breathing shallow.
Then, through the deepening darkness, a faint pale green light appeared.
“Cyril!”
“Rosio has arrived. I’ll recharge a little,” said Cyril, slipping into the bushes before I could thank him. Following the spirit, Rosio appeared shortly after.
“Esmeralda!”
“Rosio, you came!”
I reached out to him. Understanding my intentions quickly, Rosio hastily removed a ring with healing abilities and handed it to me. I placed it on Camilla.
The green gem dulled as Rosio’s magic was consumed. Without asking questions, Rosio immediately began casting the highest-level recovery spell.
Camilla slowly opened her eyes. Rosio finally relaxed and ceased the magic.
“…The Duke came too. Thank you,” Camilla said weakly.
Her breathing stabilized, and her fever broke, but she still couldn’t move. I leaned against a tree, stretched my knees, and laid her across my lap.
Camilla refused, but I couldn’t yield. I pressed her shoulders gently, and she groaned as she lay down, closing her eyes again after a short while.
“Esmeralda, are you alright? You must have been shocked,” Rosio asked, sitting beside me. He removed his coat and placed it between my back and the tree for support.
I nodded lightly at his calm, kind voice.
“I’m fine. Now that you’re here, Rosio. If you and Cyril had been even slightly late, it could have been dangerous.”
I smoothed his messy hair, and he tucked my sweat-drenched hair behind my ears.
“You handled the situation first. Truly well done.”
I lowered my gaze and retrieved my handkerchief to wipe the sweat and blood from Camilla’s forehead, but Rosio reached out.
“I’ll do it.”
“Thank you, Rosio. But…”
I hesitated, my voice slightly dark.
