BSPD 16

~Chapter 16~

It seems healing magic is not something that can simply whisk away an illness in an instant.

The so-called “brilliant mage” Luce had already been staying in our mansion for a full week.

That span of time was more than enough for the workers to complete their thorough restoration of the estate, making it shine like a new home. It also meant that only two days remained until my return to the imperial palace.

For reference, Ethan’s letter had long since arrived. On the day we parted in the forest, he had met other members of the Rudel clan, resolved the madness caused by the mushrooms, and conveyed Lunaris’s message, bringing matters to a good conclusion.

And during all that time, had my mother’s condition improved?

“Oh. This is a tool invented by Marse. I once gambled for it, then ended up selling it to Count Feahil.”

Not in the slightest!

The insufferable mage spent his days exploring my study…

“I don’t even want to imagine what this mansion looked like before repairs.”

…strolling through the garden, leaving behind scathing remarks…

“Lady Rinnegrim… we’re out of provisions again. I’m certain I bought enough for a whole month…”

…and devouring staggering amounts of food at every meal. He simply pleased himself without a care for my mother’s plight.

“I can’t take this anymore!”

Slamming my hands on the dining table, I rose to my feet, glaring at the piles of plates stacked beside Luce.

He paid me no mind. Only Retty, standing nearby, looked startled.

“When are you going to treat my mother?! The day after tomorrow I have to return to the palace! I’ll be finding a place near the palace, so I won’t be back for some time, and my mother—mmph!”

A loaf of bread floated up and popped straight into my mouth. That man—using magic for this of all things!

I chewed furiously, glaring at him. Fine. I would wait just a little longer. My departure was the morning after tomorrow, which meant I still had until tomorrow night.

Luce, you’d better have a plan. Please.

But my desperate hope was shattered the night before I left.

“Heh… heh heh…”

A hollow laugh escaped my dry lips. I had resigned myself to everything. I no longer dared hope my mother would awaken before I departed for the palace—only that she would hold on until I could storm the Mage Tower, cause a ruckus, and demand a new healer.

“I’ll just march into the Mage Tower and demand a replacement.”

For the kindness he’d shown in the western forest, I decided not to bill him for the food he’d consumed.

“And if they refuse, I’ll simply throw myself on the floor and refuse to move.”

I didn’t even know where the Mage Tower was, but I’d find it somehow.

With grim resolve, I headed to my mother’s room. I wanted to fix her face in my memory before being apart for several days.

But halfway up the stairs, I heard a violent coughing fit.

The sound came from my mother’s room, right beside the staircase.

“Mother…?”

Taking the steps three at a time, I raced toward her, nearly tripping more than once but never slowing. The coughs grew harsher, almost like retching.

“Mother!”

Throwing the door open, I saw her clutching her chest, coughing in agony. Foamy saliva tinged with blood stained her lips.

I dropped to my knees beside the bed. Her face was ghost-pale, her breathing ragged, her heartbeat erratic.

“What do I do?!”

Was this a symptom of Rote’s disease? Did it cause such frothing? If she died tonight—!

“Mother…!”

I turned her head to the side so her airway wouldn’t be blocked and wiped the froth away with a towel. My hands shook uncontrollably. Raking my hair back, I suddenly remembered—there was a mage in the mansion.

“I need to get Luce—”

But before I could rise on trembling legs, a black silhouette landed on the balcony.

Luce, his black robe billowing, hair swept back, stood with an expressionless face, taking in my mother’s convulsions and my fear-stricken state.

“Luce! Please! She can’t breathe—she might die!”

He stepped into the room—not through the window, but straight through it, as though nothing separated us.

“Just as expected. Good thing I kept increasing the mana. Thanks to that, this will be finished tonight.”

“…What?”

I stared at him in disbelief.

“You mean… my mother’s like this because of the mana you gave her?”

“Yes. I’ve been steadily infusing her with mana for the past week. A pity, really.”

A pity? My chest felt crushed by a boulder.

But before he could finish his sentence, I leapt up and drove my head into his chin with all my strength.

Thud!

He reeled backward, and I pounced, grabbing him by the collar. My forehead throbbed in pain, but I didn’t care.

“You… you vile man!!”

He looked up at me, startled, his lips parting as though to speak, but I shook him furiously.

“What did you do to my mother?! I fed and housed you for a week, and you say it’s a pity?! I told you to treat her, not make her worse! You have the power to save her, so why—!”

Tears streamed down my face, splashing onto his cheek.

“I’ve done everything to save her… gone without sleep, without food… She’s my first real family, and I would do anything for her—and you…!”

Once grief breaks free, it cannot be contained. I sobbed openly, clinging to him.

“Mother!!”

“Hey—hey.”

“I’m sorry, Mother! I should’ve listened when they told me to beware of pretty faces—!”

Footsteps approached swiftly, and Retty’s horrified voice rang out.

“My goodness! Lady Rinnegrim! What happened?!”

“Retty… my mother…”

I pointed wordlessly at the bed, weeping.

“The Countess?!”

Retty rushed over, listened to my mother’s chest, checked her breath, and straightened up.

“…My lady, the Countess seems fine.”

“…What?”

She went on to explain that my mother’s pulse was a bit fast but not in danger. Meanwhile, she glanced at me, then quickly turned away, the tips of her ears faintly red.

“Oh my… when did the two of you become so close…?”

“What?”

From below came a voice full of disgust.

“Filthy. If you’re done crying, get off me.”

Blinking, I looked down into his amethyst eyes, the moonlight making them shimmer strangely. Without warning, he seized me by the back of my collar, and my feet left the ground.

“Ah! What are you doing?!”

He lifted me high, as though I might brush the ceiling. My stomach lurched—I was afraid of heights!

But Luce only rubbed his jaw where I had struck him, giving a dry laugh.

“Amusing. First time I’ve done a good deed and been hit for it. Perhaps people should just stick to their old ways, hmm?”

His smiling gaze sent a chill down my spine.

“Then what’s wrong with my mother? What did you do?”

“She’s too weak to receive healing magic directly. I gradually increased her mana intake so she’d adjust.”

“Then the coughing and bloody froth…?”

“A temporary symptom when mana surges inside the body.”

So… this had all been preparation for the healing spell?

“Then what did you mean by ‘a pity’?”

“You’re leaving tomorrow, aren’t you? She won’t be able to walk by then.”

“Then… she can open her eyes?”

“Impatient thing.”

Light flared from his fingertips, enveloping my mother’s body, then sinking into her completely.

Moments later—at the exact instant my feet touched the ground—

“…Mmm…”

That faint moan was the voice I had longed to hear.

I rushed to her side.

“Mother…?”

Her eyelids fluttered, and emerald eyes, so like mine, met my gaze.

“…Rinne… my dear… why are you crying…?”

Her voice was husky, but still as gentle as I remembered.

She looked at me, spoke to me, touched my cheek. I clasped her thin hand to my face, never wanting to wake if this was a dream.

Then I turned sharply to Luce, who stood with a crooked smile. My voice came out louder than I intended, a mix of embarrassment and lingering anger.

“Why… why didn’t you tell me?!”