~Chapter 14~
“…Of course.”
Because with you here, our mother can be healed!
Luce, seemingly satisfied with my answer, smirked and strode ahead with a lightness in his step.
“Miss, we should hurry as well. The Captain must be worried.”
“Ah, yes!”
I tucked the Lapas mushroom into my bag and followed closely behind Ebel.
By now, the once-dark sky was gradually brightening; the dawn was casting its gentle light upon the forest.
“Humans!! Untie this at once!!”
“Please wait a moment, Divine Beast! The mage has not yet returned, so we cannot release you!”
“What? A mage? Have you forged some pact with those treacherous ones? I was only away from the forest briefly, and yet such foolishness goes unchecked! Lunaris, that wretch!”
What greeted us was Rail and Betton with grim faces, and a man tightly bound in tree roots, struggling and cursing.
“Uh, so that is…?”
Ethan, stepping back to observe, answered.
“This is Tearrn Rudel, Divine Beast of the Rudel clan.”
Though tightly bound and looking pitiful, Tearrn held his head high, striving not to lose his dignity—though none was apparent.
“Such a damn nuisance.”
Luce snapped his fingers, and the roots binding Tearrn vanished instantly into the earth.
Tearrn dropped gracefully from midair, rotating his stiff neck and shoulders.
“You insolent humans! How dare you treat a Divine Beast so—”
His gaze met mine mid-sentence; still turning his shoulder, he swiftly advanced.
“You…”
“Y-yes? M-me?”
The man towered over me, his narrowed, fierce eyes intimidating, causing me to shrink.
“Why do you look at me like that…?”
Avoiding his gaze, flashes of the dawn’s events swept through my mind.
[Hush, no dramatics now~ Swallow properly! No puking~]
Ethan forced his muzzle open, soothed him like a puppy, and instructed Luce to douse with water and strike with lightning.
“Please forget what happened at dawn…”
“You are the human who saved me!”
Tearrn embraced me suddenly, leaving me stunned within his heated embrace.
“Hahaha! Thank you, little human! Thanks to you, I am freed from that maddening frenzy!”
He lifted me high, spinning me around until I felt seasick.
“Wait, wait… I feel like I’m going to—ugh!”
Covering my mouth, Tearrn hastily set me down.
“Tearrn, do you recall what happened?”
“Not clearly. My memories are fragmented. What I do know is that after that little human fed me some herb at dawn, I regained my senses.”
I pulled the mushroom from my bag.
“Do you remember this?”
“This is the mushroom I recently ate. It was new to the forest, so I tasted it—and ended up devouring the whole colony! Haha!”
“But wolves are carnivores, aren’t they? Why would you eat this?”
“I am a Divine Beast before a wolf! If it grows in nature, I can swallow it!”
Tearrn laughed heartily, evidently enjoying the taste.
“This mushroom caused Tearrn’s frenzy. It’s the Lapas mushroom from the south. Excessive ingestion leads to delirium and paralysis. Thankfully, there’s Lonna nearby to counteract the poison.”
“Delirium?”
“Yes. Hallucinations and auditory illusions are typical symptoms.”
“I see…”
Tearrn blinked absentmindedly.
“Then those voices I heard were just hallucinations… Thank goodness.”
“Voices?”
Luce, who had been silent, suddenly asked.
“What voices did you hear?”
“He claimed injustice… No, wait! You, the mage who bound me! Showing up shamelessly again—I wanted to tear you apart! If not for the frenzy, I’d make you regret it—”
Tearrn clenched his fist but stumbled and collapsed against a tree.
“That’s because the paralysis hasn’t fully worn off. Be careful.”
“Y-yes. I will be cautious, little human.”
While everyone fretted over Tearrn, Luce alone remained calm.
“Tell me about the hallucinations you saw.”
“I won’t tell you! Why should I share the illusions born from frenzy?”
Tearrn’s voice rose, and Luce covered his ears.
“Tsk. Barking like a dog.”
His insolent words shocked us all.
“You, insolent creature—!”
As a yellow glow shimmered around Tearrn’s mouth, Ethan intervened.
“Tearrn, calm yourself. You have just recovered. Excitement is unwise, Lady Rinnegrim agrees, does she not?”
“Indeed! Calm down! Take slow, deep breaths!”
I hastened to agree.
What if Tearrn tried to kill Luce? Luce must heal our mother!
“You may not believe it, but that mage played a crucial role in ending Tearrn’s frenzy!”
“Impossible. Surely that little human—”
“Without that mage, it would have been impossible! Truly thanks to him!”
“I see…”
I soothed Tearrn with all my heart. Unbothered, Luce settled high in a tree as an indifferent observer.
“Huff. Huff… Little human, I will tolerate you.”
“Thank you, Tearrn…”
“Tearrn, do you recall what happened during your frenzy?”
Before he could answer, Ethan pressed on.
“There was an incident? What do you mean?”
“Lunaris sent numerous messengers, but none reached you.”
“Lunaris himself?”
Tearrn’s brows rose. The repeated contact from Lunaris, leader of the central Divine Beasts, indicated serious trouble.
“Tearrn, the Rudel clan’s canine spirits have been raiding villages.”
“What?”
“The mage reports signs of divine power influencing the canine spirits. We came here, risking offense, to meet you.”
Ethan relayed this calmly.
“Impossible. I never shared my divine power with my spirits!”
“How can you be certain? You say you don’t recall your frenzy.”
Luce’s pointed words drained color from Tearrn’s face. He groaned, raking his gray hair.
“Then tell me about the hallucinations and voices you saw.”
“Damn mage! What does that have to do with anything?”
“Those illusions might prove your innocence.”
After hesitation, Tearrn bit his lip and began recounting.
“He said he was wronged. Countless sleepless nights in anger. He vowed to endure no longer.”
“Did you see the face?”
“I don’t recall. I dismissed it as a phantom. Only the ominous, chilling power remains etched.”
“Ominous, chilling power…?”
“Yes. Even a Divine Beast of my caliber felt fear. Maybe due to frenzy… I could not see victory.”
He scratched his bristled arm.
That ominous, chilling power felt familiar.
“Ominous and chilling… I swear I’ve felt that before…”
I repeated Tearrn’s words, clutching my throbbing head and sinking down.
“Ugh…!”
“Miss! Are you alright?”
“I-I’m fine. Just a bit dizzy…”
Something surfaced in my mind, then blackened and vanished. Though my memory, I could not summon it at will.
The more I tried, the more my head ached.
“Ebel, escort Lady Rinnegrim to the carriage.”
“Yes!”
“And the other Rudel clan members…?”
“If they suffer symptoms like Tearrn’s, we have the antidote you mentioned. Do not worry.”
“Of course, miss. We will handle everything!”
Supported by Ebel, I rose.
“Lord Ebel, I can manage on my own. I don’t want to trouble you.”
“Trouble? You have already helped beyond measure.”
Ethan’s tone was firm yet kind.
“Please return and care for yourself. Lady, you have been a great help.”
With such a face, who could doubt him? Even strangers would entrust their lives.
“Now, if your mind is at ease, we shall escort you back to Feahil Manor.”
“Yes, please, Lord Ebel.”
As we left the forest, the fog lifted from my mind. I could walk sturdily without support.
“Lord Ebel! I’m really alright now! Go on back and attend your duties!”
“Ah, miss. I’m merely slacking under the guise of protecting you. Please forgive me.”
“Oh, is that so? Then I’ll stay a while longer—”
“Of course, I jest. Protecting you is my utmost priority. But I confess, I do not trust that mage.”
Ebel whispered in my ear, drawing my gaze to Luce trailing behind.
“I heard from Rail about that mage. How could I send you two alone? I’m not so incompetent.”
Should I be reassured? I was already full of distrust.
In the end, I boarded the carriage under Ebel’s protection.
Ebel loudly warned Luce as he followed.
“If anything happens, shout loudly to alert me!”
“Yes.”
Though Luce could wipe me out without a trace, I hoped he would refrain from mischief.
“Absolutely! Promise me—”
But Ebel’s figure vanished suddenly—as if evaporated.
The only one worthy of such chaos was—
“Quiet.”
The mage, blocking his ears, frowned and tapped the wall by the coachman’s seat.
The carriage jolted, horses galloped, and we departed.
“…He didn’t kill him, did he?”
Ah, some noise is one thing, but killing is too much. No matter how mad Luce is, he must have some semblance of morality.
…Yet why no answer?
“Did he kill him…?”
When I asked again, Luce smirked crookedly.
“Maybe I should have just killed him? If our employer wishes it—”
“No! Of course not! I hope he’s alive and well!”
“I sent him to the swordsmen who lack manpower. No need to tremble.”
“Phew. Thank you. I almost jumped from the moving carriage.”
Leaning back against the coach’s seat, a smile naturally spread across my face at the thought of seeing my mother soon.
“Why the sly smile?”
“Hehe. Just because.”
Calm down. Calm down. Despite everything, this is the lifeline for my mother.
Closing my eyes tightly to avoid gazing upon his annoyingly handsome face, drowsiness gently overtook me.
Days later, when I met Ebel again at the palace, he lamented how he had harvested Lonna herb until his fingertips turned blue and how, thanks to that, the Rudel Divine Beasts had regained their senses, healing the villagers, and that even the feral dog spirits, their kin, had recovered and returned to the forest. But that was still far in the future.
Still far in the future? Is it a dream?~