A Fading Bond

A promise. The spirit, having uttered words of unknown meaning, placed its tiny hand on Ensi’s forehead without further explanation.

Fu-ha. The spirit inhaled and exhaled deeply, puffing up its cheeks. At that moment, its eyes, which had been flickering gently like a campfire, transformed into a great blaze.

Agniele didn’t know exactly what the spirit was doing, but sensing the mana fluctuating around it, he reflexively tried to shield Ensi by pulling him into his arms.

“Wait, if you act so recklessly—!”

Despite Agniele’s protest, the spirit did not stop. It poured the power it had diligently stored up while playing into Ensi’s body.

Perhaps it was infusing him with warmth. As time passed, Ensi’s complexion improved slightly. Feeling the rigid muscles relax bit by bit, Agniele loosened his grip on Ensi.

As the spirit exerted itself so much that its physical form began to waver, the unbearable pain turned into a manageable ache. The moment the pain that had been forcibly holding his consciousness vanished, Ensi lost consciousness.

The groaning that had been leaking continuously from his lips quieted down. Agniele carefully felt Ensi’s neck.

“……He’s recovered.”

To be precise, he was better than before. Even now, his temperature was far lower than the warmth Agniele usually felt when holding his hand, so it was too early to be relieved. Still, it was a mercy that his condition had improved even a little.

Agniele suddenly felt like crying, but he managed his emotions by burying his forehead against Ensi’s neck.

[I wanted to play more.]

Having fulfilled its promise, it was time to leave. Since the tie that bound it to this land had been severed, it could not stay even if it wished to. Pouting its lips in dissatisfaction, the spirit soothed its regret by leaving a short kiss on the unconscious Ensi’s forehead.

“Wait, just a moment. Do not leave. Ensi is not cured yet.”

Faced with the spirit acting as if it would vanish at any moment, Agniele quickly snapped his head up. In his urgency, Agniele reached out to grab it, but the spirit lightly fluttered upward, avoiding his touch.

Tilting its head, the spirit stared intently at Agniele. Before long, its eyes returned to the gentle light of a campfire.

[He won’t die now. The promise is over.]

Despite his desperate whisper, the spirit merely looked at him with an innocent face. It was pure, yet so firm that it seemed no plea would work.

“What did Ensi promise you? Didn’t you say you wanted to play more? Let’s make a new promise—!”

[You don’t have anything that I want.]

Cutting off Agniele’s appeal sharply, the spirit departed without a single shred of regret. The brilliantly burning ember vanished in an instant. Staring at the empty air where not a single spark remained, Agniele ground his teeth.

……There was nothing he could do. He was utterly incompetent. A deep self-loathing filled his powerless self.

“Oh seriously, May! Let me down already!”

“You kept saying you had to pack things, that’s why we’re late! I told you I’d let you down in front of the Master!”

“Then do I go to see a patient empty-handed! If I were a healing priest, maybe, but I’m a doctor!”

While Agniele was floundering in misery and self-loathing, a commotion arose outside. At the same time, with a sharp pull, the thick cloth was drawn back, and a woman appeared carrying a struggling figure over her shoulder.

Since she was the woman who had gone to fetch the doctor on his order, Agniele guessed that the person on her shoulder was the physician. He watched with sunken eyes as the doctor was placed neatly before him by May.

“His temperature dropped suddenly, and he complained of the cold. Until just now, he was suffering from an unknown pain. His condition is better now than before.”

“You mean his condition improved? There is no way that happens without a reason; did you take any other measures?”

Although there was only a faint light inside the hastily constructed cave, her dark, sunken gaze felt intense. Nicephorus, sensing the quiet pressure, didn’t even have time to check her disheveled clothing before pulling tools from her medical bag. Her face was rigidly set as she listened to Agniele.

Taking the limp arm on the bed, she flinched, her fingertips trembling in surprise at Ensi’s temperature, which was colder than a corpse.

“A spirit, yes. A spirit shared its warmth. Then it said he wouldn’t die now.”

The words “won’t die now” came across as chilling. Didn’t that mean he could still be left disabled? Even though she knew she should be grateful that her young master wasn’t going to die immediately, Nicephorus felt a chill down her spine and swallowed hard.

“……We must call a healing priest. This doesn’t seem like a situation that can be resolved with medicine alone.”

“I’ll bring one quickly.”

May, who had been watching silently, hid her eyes that were shaking with shock and went outside to fetch a priest.

Even though the cloth had been drawn back for only a brief moment, Ensi’s body reacted sensitively. Agniele tightly pulled the shivering form back into his embrace, as if Ensi had caught a chill in that split second.

Why on earth had the disease progressed so rapidly? Could it be that the aftermath of the heat he experienced a few weeks ago was only hitting him now? Or was it because his already weakened body had received a new shock?

Whatever the case, Nicephorus’s task was clear. Rather than immediately pulling out the syringe she had prepared just in case, she prioritized checking Ensi’s current state by checking his pulse and turning over his eyelids.

“It’s a life barely held onto…….”

Finally certain that Ensi’s current symptoms were due to the Eutia disease, Nicephorus let out an involuntary lament and gave an injection to Ensi’s wrist.

Hearing her murmur, Agniele stiffened.

“A life barely held onto? What does that mean?”

Realizing from Agniele’s question that she had spoken aloud, she opened her lips blankly.

However, since she still had to administer injections to his right arm and both legs, she let out a sigh and explained in a quiet, steady voice while holding the syringe.

“……Though Sun Herbs are used as medicine for the Eutia disease, long-term use eventually turns them into poison. He might look fine on the outside, but his insides are ruined. From the blood vessels to the organs, everything.”

That was why those who suffered from the Eutia disease died before living even ten years. Their bodies became weak from the toxicity of what was used as medicine, and they eventually couldn’t overcome the cold.

The power of a healing priest was also nothing more than a temporary fix. There was no way a power that couldn’t even completely dispel the cold of the Eutia disease could remove the toxicity of the Sun Herbs.

Therefore, to live even a little longer, a strong body capable of overcoming both the Eutia disease and the herb’s toxicity at the same time was required.

“That is also why the young master took up the sword. The bodies of those who handle mana are stronger than ordinary people. It would have been better if he were a mage…… but the young master had no talent for magic.”

In the end, he had no choice but to sweat and practice swordsmanship. It was a fatal activity for Ensi, whose body must not grow cold, but if he didn’t do it, he couldn’t dream of a longer future.

Amusingly enough, the talent that showed not a single drop in magic shone brilliantly when he took up the sword. To the point where Ensi himself would self-deprecatingly ask if he was being mocked, given how his skills improved by leaps and bounds day by day.

Even to Nicephorus, who was ignorant of swordsmanship, it was clear. It was a brilliantly shining talent, enough to make her think that if it weren’t for the Eutia disease, he would have made a great name for himself.

“Thanks to that, he has been able to endure until now. It must have also been a help to the young master that he connected with the Saintess at the Academy.”

Since Ensi began to handle mana, it was safe to say his life had been a tightrope walk between the Eutia disease and the toxicity of the medicine. Considering this, the words “a life barely held onto” were completely accurate.

Realizing anew Ensi’s precarious situation, like a lamp before the wind, Nicephorus lamented inwardly. Though life and destiny are given to everyone, wasn’t it uniquely cruel to her young master?

“For the time being, even if he wakes up, his mind won’t be entirely sound. And since his stomach won’t accept food, he will only be taking thin gruel, so there is no need to find it strange. He might suddenly feel a sharp chill, so in those moments, please call me or the priest.”

Tying a bandage tightly over the injected skin to prevent more blood from leaking, Nicephorus massaged his hands, where the medicine was slowly beginning to take effect, while reciting the precautions.

“……Is it alright for me to stay by his side?”

“Pardon? Ah, by any chance, do you have to return?”

Because Nicephorus had naturally assumed Agniele would stay by Ensi’s side, she opened her eyes wide in surprise at his question.

And at that moment, the image of Ensi holding onto him and begging him not to go flashed through Agniele’s mind. There were several reasons why he shouldn’t stay here long, but seeing Ensi lying there caused all of them to fade away.

“No, that’s not it. If it’s fine for me to stay, I will keep watch.”

“I plan to stay in the next room for the time being, so if you call, I will come quickly.”

Having finished all the immediate measures, Nicephorus packed her bag and stood up. Because she had come in a hurry after being grabbed by May, what she had brought wasn’t enough to be fully prepared.

Since she couldn’t leave the main building just in case, she would have to grab one of those who would be pacing outside like an anxious dog and make them fetch the items instead.

Trying to disturb the cloth as little as possible, she squeezed her body through a small gap and went out of the cave. Then, she gestured to one of the people who were still fretting while staring at the cave.

Frowning as if asking why it had to be them, she gave a firm hiss and jerked her chin toward the outside.

“What about the priest?”

“It seems it will take more time.”

Agniele laid Ensi’s body comfortably on the bed. Although the plush bed enveloped him, Ensi frowned even in his unconsciousness.

Covering him up to his neck with blankets unsuited for the season, Agniele asked the people outside the cave about the priest. The immediate response wasn’t entirely satisfying, but seeing Ensi’s condition, which was visibly much better than before, he finally managed to calm his emotions.

Agniele smoothed Ensi’s contorted brow with his index finger, then kissed his smooth forehead. A cold temperature, as if ice had touched his lips, was felt.

To think this temperature was an improvement. A hollow laugh escaped Agniele’s lips at the grim reality.

The injection given to Ensi was likely a medicine used only in emergencies. Nicephorus didn’t seem to notice, but every time she gave Ensi an injection, her face contorted as if she were using poison.

Thanks to that, Agniele also realized that the medicine wasn’t good for Ensi’s body in the long run. Yet, even after using such a strong medicine, he couldn’t return to his usual state.

“If possible, bring the priest who stayed at the mansion at the Saintess’s request during Ensi’s last heat.”

Lying sideways next to Ensi, Agniele cupped the defenseless cheek with his palm and spoke in a low voice.

“—Yes!”

Since it was a person chosen by the Saintess, their skills would be better than a priest dispatched at the request of the Jade Mansion. Above all, if they had come once, they would also know Ensi’s condition well.

Since they had passed the acute crisis under the guidance of the spirit and Nicephorus, they still had time. Recalling the details they had missed at Agniele’s command, they moved busily.