ISMFB 11

CHAPTER 11

“Anna. I told you not to go yourself.”

“Thanks to prompt treatment, I’m fine. I swear on my legs—I’ll go and be right back.”

“Anna…!”

With a solemn sense of purpose, Anna left.

Unable to stop her, Linaria stared at the torn page in thought.

‘I need the Tower Master’s help.’

The power of divine beasts was a privilege reserved for nobles. Those not chosen had no choice but to rely on artificial tools.

And the people who created such tools—magical engineers—were gathered in the Ivory Tower.

‘Medicine is a field the Ivory Tower continues to research. And I’ve heard the Tower Master specializes in healing.’

There was room for hope.

“Ah, right.”

She had received a birthday gift, and it occurred to her that she ought to personally thank her father.

If she told him she truly loved the gift, he’d surely be pleased.

Linaria headed for her father’s room.

“Is Father in his room right now?”

“He’s enjoying an afternoon nap.”

Then she would come back later.

Thinking nothing of it, Linaria turned away.

But when she returned late in the evening, she still couldn’t see her father.

“The Duke retired early, saying he was tired.”

And the next day—

“What about Father?”

“He’s just now fallen asleep for his afternoon nap.”

And the day after that—

“What about Father?”

“He hasn’t woken up yet.”

By this point, it was impossible not to notice something was wrong.

Ignoring the servant who tried to stop her, Linaria opened the door.

There, lying peacefully, was her father.

He was truly asleep.

“Father.”

“…”

“You’ve been sleeping all day. It’s time to wake up now.”

“…”

“Father…”

Even at her earnest call, Dante didn’t stir in the slightest.

Had he not been breathing, she would’ve thought he was dead.

“Call the physician…”

Bzzz, bzzz—

She heard a faint buzzing sound, like a fly.

Struggling to breathe, Linaria finally managed to speak:

“Call the physician.”

A short time later, the physician arrived and quickly examined Dante’s condition.

“…Aside from extreme exhaustion, he’s stable. He appears to be in a very deep sleep. With time, he should wake up naturally.”

“He doesn’t wake up even when shaken. Can that really be called sleep?”

“Well…”

Calling it sleep was being generous. The physician likely believed it was more like unconsciousness.

“Does this smoke filling Father’s room actually help?”

Linaria asked with suspicion, then suddenly realized something.

“What exactly is this herb?”

“…It’s a divine beast stimulant.”

“A stimulant?”

“It enhances the activity of the divine beast and amplifies its power. Prolonged use is generally not recommended, but given the Duke’s severe physical decline, it’s the only thing sustaining him.”

“There’s no other way?”

“No. For now, this is the only viable option.”

With nothing gained, Linaria sent the physician away and stepped outside.

The smoke, which was medicine for her father, could very well be poison for her, so she couldn’t stay long.

‘I hope the Tower Master replies soon.’

She stared silently at the tightly closed door.

Today, that door felt especially huge.

“Father is not a traitor.”

It felt like she had returned to that day, the one when she couldn’t even retrieve her father’s body.

That day was dark.

More precisely, the place she had been confined was always dark, day or night.

They’d nailed planks over the windows, afraid she might escape.

In a room where no light reached, Linaria had trembled in fear.

Her father was slowly becoming someone she didn’t recognize. That was the most terrifying part.

‘Something’s not right…’

The smell of rot stung her nose.

The image of her unmoving father haunted her.

Covering her ears, Linaria bolted as if trying to escape something.

✦✦✦

Dante finally woke up late that evening.

Lately, he had been talking and moving far too much.

He had been forcing himself to hold on for Linaria’s sake—but when he tried to summon the power of the divine beast again, it was too much.

His chest felt as though it were burning, and he instinctively checked the time.

‘Thankfully, I didn’t lose consciousness for too long.’

Relieved for a moment, he was quickly shocked by what he heard next.

“Lady Linaria came and went?”

“Yes. She summoned the physician to check on your condition and then left.”

Until now, Dante had only communicated with her through Meril, deliberately hiding his illness.

But now that Linaria could come and go freely, that secret wouldn’t last.

“She must’ve been worried.”

Immediately, he stood up to ease his daughter’s fears.

“Where is Linaria now? It’s late—she’s probably getting ready for bed?”

“She’ll be glad to hear you’re awake. I’ll go check on her.”

But moments later—

The servant returned with unexpected news.

“The young lady is nowhere to be found.”

Dante rushed to Linaria’s bedroom.

What greeted him was a cold bed, still perfectly made since the morning.

“She said she wanted to be alone, so I left her be…”

Even Anna, who was usually always with Linaria, didn’t know where she was.

“Search the entire house. Now!”

The estate was thrown into chaos.

All the servants dropped what they were doing to search for Linaria.

Dante too wandered the mansion, looking for his daughter.

And finally, he found her—in the library.

“…Linaria?”

Books were scattered everywhere, as if every single one had been pulled from the shelves.

Amid the chaos, Linaria was muttering to herself, surrounded by books.

“Holly berries are poisonous, but boiled, they strengthen the heart. Elm bark improves blood circulation. Boil in purified water for 10 minutes…”

Her eyes were unfocused.

Her face was deathly pale.

And not only her face—bloodstains marked her clothes as well.

She stared into the void, murmuring words that at first seemed meaningless, but were all related to medicinal herbs.

It was as if she were reciting from memory.

“No, no. Birch sap is for dementia and degenerative brain diseases…”

Drip, drip.

Linaria had a nosebleed.

But she didn’t seem to feel it.

Like someone completely numb, she just kept flipping through books and mumbling.

The blood on her clothes had come from that nosebleed.

“Linaria!”

Dante rushed to her in panic.

“…Oh. Father?”

Linaria slowly looked up at him.

Even though she recognized him, her expression was still emotionless.

Dante would’ve rather she burst into tears than look like that.

He gently wiped the blood from her face.

“What were you doing?”

“I had a dream where I lost you. And in that dream, there was nothing I could do.”

She was rambling.

“But… even now, I still can’t do anything. So I thought maybe—if I find something I can do…”

Was that why she pulled out every book in the library?

Was she so determined to cure this worthless father, that she tried to memorize every medicinal book?

Even after breaking down, she still clung to hope.

“…Was I too late because I’m not good enough?”

“You weren’t late. And you’re not lacking, either.”

“…”

“Linaria, I won’t die.”

Dante gently cupped her cheek with one hand.

“Look at me now. What do you feel?”

“You’re warm.”

Linaria seemed to finally calm down, reassured by his warmth.

“That’s right. So you don’t need to worry anymore.”

Supporting her as she practically collapsed into his arms, Dante helped her out of the library.

To the stunned servants, he signaled that everything was fine.

Then, looking back at Linaria, he froze.

His daughter, looking like she might collapse at any moment, was moving her lips soundlessly.

Though she wasn’t speaking aloud, a thousand books were still spinning through her mind.

“Linaria…”

Shaken, Dante was speechless for a moment.

Then, remembering something, he leaned in and whispered:

“There’s a huge secret that only your mother and I know. I’ll tell you—just for you.”