Fresa quickly approached and firmly grasped Loren’s hand.
“Loren, how are you feeling? The priest treated you.”
“Oh, I see… I feel lighter. It’s like waking up from a dream.”
“Your fever has gone down. That’s a relief.”
Fresa pressed her hand to Loren’s forehead and let out a sigh of relief.
It was fortunate that her divine power was having an effect.
“Loren, are you okay? There really aren’t any more problems now, right?”
Jerome, who had been anxiously observing the situation from behind, hurriedly asked.
Loren looked at him and gave a faint smile.
“Yes, I’m okay. Thanks to you, I survived, Jerome.”
“I-what did I do?”
“You contacted Miss Fresa. Thank you.”
“…That’s enough. Just get well soon.”
Jerome blushed and muttered hurriedly.
What’s going on?
When did they become so close?
Fresa looked disapprovingly at Loren and Jerome, but silently, Reese, who had been sitting quietly atop Loren’s head, spoke softly.
“Hm. But the black spots still haven’t disappeared.”
Fresa finally examined Loren’s forehead.
As Reese said, the black spots had only dimmed slightly; they were still there.
But the moment Fresa looked at them, they seemed to hide as if they had been absorbed into her skin.
Fresa furrowed her brow slightly.
‘They’re not gone… it’s like they’re hidden.’
Maybe Loren hadn’t fully recovered.
Was she still cursed from that forest?
However, since no black mass was coming out, it seemed to be a different symptom from Lauren or Isaac’s.
‘It’s definitely related to the World Tree.’
Fresa recalled the strange soil she saw in the forest earlier, and Reese softly said,
“I’d like you to tell me what you saw in the forest.”
Fresa nodded slightly, barely noticing Reese.
She had planned to discuss it with Reese as soon as she returned, but Lycaon had come back sooner than expected, so she couldn’t.
‘To reach the World Tree, I need to go through the roots; to reach the roots… I have to pass through the village where my biological parents live.’
Those were the places Fresa had to go through to reach her final destination.
Perhaps since she met Reese, all of this had been predetermined—an unsettling feeling of destiny.
“Although I don’t know exactly what the symptoms are, they seem to have stabilized for now, so I’ll be going back. Please contact me if the condition changes again.”
The priest, having finished his task, looked at Fresa with tired eyes and quietly said.
It was clear that using divine power was no easy feat; his face was drenched in sweat.
Even though it looked like nothing, he had exerted quite a bit of effort.
Fresa quickly bowed her head in gratitude.
“Thank you very much, priest. Please take care.”
“You’re welcome. That’s all for now.”
The priest gave a strange smile and looked at Lycaon.
“Let’s go.”
Lycaon, as if he had been waiting, left the bedroom with the priest.
Fresa watched their backs for a moment, then turned her gaze back to Loren.
“Loren, if you’re alright, would you like to go to the Tower of Magic with me?”
“…Huh? The Tower of Magic?”
Loren looked surprised at the sudden suggestion.
“Loren… to the Tower of Magic?”
Jerome also looked taken aback.
“I want to stay by your side for a while because I was very ill. If there’s a skilled pharmacist like me and a mage like Lycaon, you can rest assured.”
Fresa calmly persuaded Loren.
Loren hesitated, then looked at Fresa with uncertain eyes and finally spoke.
“But… then what about the apothecary? It’s the only one in this village.”
“I have scrolls, so I can move around periodically to deliver medicines. The villagers will be fine. Or we can find a temporary pharmacist to take over.”
“I’ve heard the Tower of Magic is hard to get to. You’re very capable, miss, but I’m just a servant.”
“Loren, you’re kinder and stronger than anyone I know. And Lycaon was the one who first suggested this, so you don’t need to worry.”
“Then what about Jerome…?”
As Fresa took on all of Loren’s concerns, Loren glanced at Jerome.
Fresa narrowed her eyes and turned her head toward Jerome.
Jerome looked pale and frightened, as if he was afraid of being left alone here.
‘If I leave Jerome behind here, Loren might feel uncomfortable.’
Even though Jerome had harassed Fresa in the past, she didn’t want that kind of ending.
Jerome had sincerely apologized to Fresa, unlike other family members.
Although the Sof family had fallen into ruin and the others had scattered, Jerome had come here anyway.
Surely, his pride wouldn’t allow it.
‘At first, I thought he was shameless… but maybe he wanted to apologize in his own way.’
Fresa could tell from how Loren was treating Jerome.
She knew that Jerome had been doing well with Loren here all this time.
“Do you want to go with me, Jerome?”
“…Me, too?”
Jerome’s eyes widened in surprise.
Fresa simply nodded once in response.
“I’d like that. If it’s okay with you.”
Jerome muttered softly, watching Fresa’s gentle face.
Fresa looked at his strangely gentle face, then smiled warmly at Loren.
“So, everything’s settled now?”
“…Yes, miss. Thank you.”
Loren whispered in gratitude, and Fresa finally lightly hugged her.
“Don’t thank me for something so obvious. Loren, you’re my only family.”
Hearing this, Jerome made a bitter expression, but Fresa didn’t look back.
She only felt the warmth of Loren’s embrace, holding her tightly.
It was a relief that Loren was feeling better, but recalling that Lauren and Isaac’s divine power had been useless made her uneasy.
‘I don’t think this will end so easily.’
But no matter what happens, Fresa would protect Loren.
Just as Loren had protected her, she wanted to do the same.
Loren was the only person who stayed within the thorny world that Fresa’s world had become.
‘I will protect her, no matter what.’
With that resolve, Fresa closed her eyes tightly.
~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~
Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉
Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
~~~Next Chapter~~~
Next chapter will be released in a bit.
See you then!!
