A diary with an unknown title.
When she opened the book to see its contents, the sentences written in an unknown language were completely unreadable.
She tried to guess the language.
“Is it hieroglyphic…?”
From what she could gather, it seemed to be an ancient script used by dragons and spirits.
It was unlikely to be anything else.
The bizarre script without any apparent rules could only be hieroglyphics, as far as she knew.
Hieroglyphics are an ancient script that modern linguists still study.
The records are almost non-existent, making scholars reluctant to explore it further.
However, since it still exists, she placed a preservation spell on the book to leave it to them.
Epherna examined the inside of the shack a bit more.
She wondered if there might be something else worth obtaining.
But the more she looked, the more she found only dust, mold, and spider webs.
Even after swinging the sun plate around, she discovered nothing.
“……”
Suddenly, she felt the return of mana.
She turned her head sharply towards the direction of the castle.
‘Is it over…?’
She deployed her detection magic.
The vast mana emanating from her body extended far away.
Epherna concentrated her senses on the royal castle.
The castle was in a very damaged state, and Ern and Darion were collapsed.
‘Mister!’
She didn’t know what had happened.
However, it was clear that the situation was more severe than she had imagined.
The fact that two heroes, Ern and Darion, were lying side by side in a collapsed state was alarming.
Now that her mana had returned, there was no reason to hesitate.
Epherna used teleportation.
*****
The castle, almost in ruins.
Ern leaned against a pillar, spitting out the blood pooled in his mouth, his body half-destroyed.
“…Tsk.”
Around him were fragments of Darion’s broken armor and pieces of the castle’s pillars reduced to dust.
The ground was gruesomely decorated with crimson blood.
Ern thought to himself.
Really, he had almost died.
The decision to rely on pure combat without mana had been sound.
Even though it was inside the castle, this was the heart of the capital.
If heroes clashed with all their might, it wouldn’t have ended with just partial destruction of the castle. The damage would have affected the citizens outside the castle as well.
However, even if Darion couldn’t use mana, he was the commander of the imperial knights, and it was unlikely he hadn’t prepared for such a situation.
‘Several ribs are broken… The forearm muscles are significantly torn, and the legs seem to have compound fractures. Not to mention the arm bones.’
Three weeks of recovery.
Even if he healed quickly, it would likely be at least two weeks.
Of course, he had succeeded in subduing Darion as a result.
Whether he could consider it a successful subjugation is debatable, given he nearly killed Darion in the process.
“…”
He turned his gaze to Darion, who was bleeding profusely and lying unconscious.
His condition was also critical.
He had lost a lot of blood, and if left untreated, he could die from his wounds.
‘…Was using the Killing Technique a mistake?’
One of the two techniques he was most familiar with.
The Salessin-style Killing Technique.
A collection of techniques designed solely to efficiently kill an opponent.
It was also the primary technique used by Ray Salessin, the current Astra Special Forces Commander.
He had used it because he felt he might die if he didn’t, but now it seemed like Darion might die instead.
‘…Someone needs to come quickly.’
If 30 minutes pass as is, both will inevitably die.
He wanted to use healing magic, but it was impossible as he couldn’t move a finger.
His vision was growing hazy.
In a few minutes, he would lose consciousness and be unable to make any further judgments.
“…Hah.”
It might be because of the seven years of retreat; the idea of dying didn’t feel real.
After all, having eaten the best and slept in comfort by Epherna’s side, this was inevitable.
And now, she was coming into view.
“Mister!”
Her face was very pale.
Seeing that face brought a sense of calm, like the arrival of spring.
He, too, had become quite the pushover.
*****
Mister was leaning against a pillar.
Blood was flowing from his head.
Bones had pierced through his torn clothes.
“Mister!”
She lifted his face to check if he was conscious.
His complexion was blue with closed eyes, resembling that of a dead person.
“…Why, why are you so badly injured?”
Epherna bit her lip.
If she hoped for Ern to recover, now was not the time to question such things.
Knowing him, she didn’t ask further and began to cast healing magic.
A green light emerged from the spell and seeped into various parts of his body.
At the same time, a vast amount of mana flowed out of her.
The principle of healing magic is to enhance the recovery ability of the target.
The amount of mana consumed varies greatly depending on the target’s physical condition.
Ern was one of the few powerful heroes of the continent.
Just enhancing his recovery consumed half of her mana.
She cast the same healing magic on Darion.
Enhancing recovery alone wasn’t sufficient.
Proper treatment was necessary.
She used teleportation to summon the soldiers stationed along the way.
She hadn’t requested a doctor, but there were medics available.
They should be on their way, so now there was only one thing she could do.
“Please… Mister, please…”
Holding his hand tightly and praying.
This was the first time Epherna had seen Ern injured.
Ern, who had never been outmatched by anyone in terms of strength.
He rarely got injured, and if he did, it was minor.
So she couldn’t imagine it.
Or rather, she hadn’t realized it.
That he, too, was an ordinary person who bled when flesh was torn, had bones broken from severe impact, and lost consciousness.
Even with added strength, it was the same.
Once dead, he could never return to her side.
Epherna felt utterly foolish for having underestimated this fact.
They say that when a loved one is in pain, it feels like one’s heart is being torn apart.
She could understand it now.
Extreme sorrow, extreme anxiety, extreme worry.
The emotions inside her were gathering and felt like they were about to explode.
The fact that she had to remain composed for him to be okay barely allowed her to keep her sanity.
It wasn’t easy, but it had to be done.
Epherna wept alone in the darkened royal castle.
She tried not to cry, but tears like chicken droppings flowed out.
“…Huh, huhu…”
Tears shed out of concern for someone.
It was also a new experience for her.
Though she had grown and experienced much since the age of fifteen when time had seemed to stop,
Today, she was definitely taking a step closer to becoming an adult.
*****
The battle between Ern and Darion in the castle caused a ripple, whether small or large.
Firstly, it became known that a forbidden magic was hidden within the castle, prompting Belladriel to rush to the Eastern Principality.
To manage the partially destroyed castle, Epherna personally summoned architects from the Principality to set up a restoration schedule, and news of the severely injured heroes began to spread, creating ominous rumors of something being amiss.
Rumors of another war, or that God was angry, circulated, but no one knew the source.
Epherna had attempted to control the rumors but hadn’t done so thoroughly.
She was short on time just managing the immediate aftermath, and she hadn’t expected such ominous rumors to spread so widely.
Although heroes fought, the damage was limited to them, so she expected only rumors of a new rising power.
Who could have inflated the incident into such rumors?
It might be needless worry, but Epherna found it unsettling.
The Eastern Principality.
Now referred to as the Eastern Duchy, there was a large hospital there.
“I’m hungry.”
Ern, who had just woken up after three days, immediately complained of hunger.
Epherna brought a bowl of porridge.
She blew on the hot porridge with a spoon before bringing it to him.
Since Ern had broken bones in his arm and fingers, someone else had to feed him for the time being.
“No meat?”
“Meat? You’re injured. Just eat the porridge.”
Ern started eating the porridge with a sulky face.
“By the way, why are you the one feeding me? Didn’t you call for the nurses?”
“Do the already busy nurses need to feed you too? That’s something a guardian should do.”
Even though he was a member of the Princess’s Personal Guard, surely, he could manage that much.
Besides, wasn’t he supposed to be her guardian?
Despite the many questions swirling in his mind, Ern remained silent.
Epherna’s mood seemed particularly off today.
“…Is something wrong? You look unhappy.”
“How could I be happy when you’re injured?”
For the past three days, Epherna had been continuously upset.
Her expression had been so somber that even the doctors and nurses at the hospital had been cautious around her.
“How’s Lord Darion? Is he alright?”
“He’s fine. He’s a healthy person, so he’ll recover quickly. But you should worry about yourself. Lord Darion only lost a lot of blood, so his recovery will be faster, but you have multiple broken bones, so your recovery will be slower.”
Would saying “What does it matter that our combat types are different?” make her angry?
After a few seconds of contemplation, Ern decided to hold his tongue. Although Epherna was usually very lenient, he knew from experience that it was best not to provoke her when she was in such a state.
