However, facts and emotions didn’t always line up. If revenge for both our pasts was within our reach, I couldn’t just sit here doing nothing. A woman far younger than me was fighting to overcome her childhood trauma, and I considered myself her mentor, in a way. But even beyond that, as a man who lived by the blade, something inside me criticized my indecisive attitude.
So what if it’s a named monster? When something needs doing, it has to be done. There was no telling how often such dire decisions had to be made in one lifespan, but now was certainly one such time. Even if the world didn’t see it that way, Surena and I did. Unfortunately, I wasn’t currently capable of physically joining the fray.
“Defeating it will be a once-in-a-lifetime hunt for you...” I said. “I would’ve loved to stand by your side.”
“I understand how you feel, but I cannot force this burden on you any more than I already have. The same goes for anyone else... I doubt it will move its nest anytime soon. This time, I’ll kill it.”
I really did want to help her—and get revenge for myself too. But my body was no longer in peak condition. I could manage normal monsters, but in any attempt to kill Id Invicius, I would only be a hindrance. I knew that better than anyone.
I couldn’t just sit still waiting for things to get better. I had to do everything within my power to improve, or I would definitely regret it. I was ready to use anything on hand—be it people, goods, or money—to make this right.
“I’ll go to a doctor or a wizard or anyone else,” I declared. “If there’s any chance that my arm can be healed, I’ll try it. Fortunately, I have plenty of mo—”
Just as I was trying to relay that to Surena, the door to the room suddenly opened. Someone who shouldn’t have been here under any circumstances chose this exact moment to slowly stroll in, stifling a yawn.
“This the place? Ooh, yup, there he is. Hwaaah... I’m not cut out for traveling day and night, top speed, over such a long distance.”
“Huh...? Lucy?!”
“Lucy Diamond! Why—”
“Oh, Lysandra, you’re here too. It’s no big, ah... Hwaaah... I’m tired...”
Acting like our shock had nothing to do with her, Lucy stifled another yawn. No, seriously, why are you here? This isn’t Baltrain. We’re on the border of Salura Zaruk in Vesparta. It took me pretty long to get here using multiple horses. You can’t teleport or something, can you?
Back during the incident with Vice Principal Braun at the institute, she’d been away on a business trip to the empire. She’d mentioned having to cancel that and rush back, so she’d used a more realistic means of travel, like a horse, at the time.
“Let’s see... Oh, you’re injured?” Lucy immediately spotted my wound. “How rare.”
“Not that rare... Huh? Why?”
My brain wasn’t able to process any of this. I had absolutely no idea why she was here right now.
“Why, you ask...?” Lucy replied. “Well, after you left, I just felt like taking a nice long trip. I’m here to do some sightseeing. Am I being a nuisance or something?”
“No... Not at all.”
“Mm. Good, good.”
Her behavioral patterns were as much of a mystery as ever. There was no way the magic commander would come all the way here just to do some sightseeing without having some kind of urgent business in the area. I wanted to quip about her ditching her research and work, but it was unthinkable that a woman of Lucy’s standing would be ignorant of the fetters of her position. In her case, it was entirely possible she knew and chose to ignore them.
At any rate, Lucy Diamond being here right now wasn’t a nuisance in any way. If anything, she was undeniably the most reliable person we could’ve asked for. And it wouldn’t matter if I grumbled—she wouldn’t be bothered in the least. Though, if I do anger her by some chance and she goes straight back to Baltrain, that would be a problem for me. Since she’s here, there’s no reason to let her go.
“Sightseeing, huh?” I said. “Anything you’re here for in particular?”
“I’ve passed by plenty of times on my way to the empire,” she mused. “There isn’t much that’s new to me. That said, I’ve heard rumors on the wind of something amusing in the Aflatta Mountain Range.”
“Ha ha ha, you’ve got great taste.”
I could almost guarantee she’d come here the same way I had. She hadn’t taken a trip to Vesparta on business for the magic corps or the institute, nor was she here at the command of the kingdom. She just happened to be here for personal reasons. That was the story, at least.
Having done the exact same thing, I’d moved the conversation along with that in mind and had gotten the response I’d expected. It had worked for me, but I wasn’t nearly as high-ranking as Lucy. Could someone like her really get away with such a flimsy excuse? A part of me couldn’t help but want to joke about it, but now wasn’t the time for that.
Lucy put an end to that farce—her tone and gaze became serious. “So? Can you move your arm?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
She was analyzing our combat potential. My answer would always be the same, though. If I could’ve forced it to move through sheer willpower, I would have. But my body wasn’t in a state where that would work.
Surena finally recovered from her shock. “Oh! The magic commander can...!”
“Well, if she can’t, I’ll pretty much just have to give up.”
“Hmmm...”
I’d been planning to search for a doctor or a wizard who could heal me—and a skilled one at that. Lucy Diamond met those conditions better than anyone. If I were just in bad shape or had a fever, a doctor would probably be better, but when it came to repairing damage to the body, I couldn’t think of anyone more suitable for the task than Lucy.
I’d only ever witnessed healing magic in action once when Gatoga had healed Rose’s wound. The laceration across her chest—that I’d been responsible for—should’ve been fatal, but he’d somehow kept her alive.
The situation now was somewhat different. Though my injury wasn’t fatal, it was lethal to a swordsman’s very existence.
“Receiving healing magic directly from me would normally cost quite the sum...” Lucy said. “Now then, what to do?”
“I’ll pay! Take as much as you want!” Surena yelled.
“I’m ready to give you whatever you ask,” I added.
“Ha ha ha! Is that so?”
I wasn’t going to ask her for free healing. It was the same as how I’d never ask Balder to forge me a free sword. Personally, it didn’t look like Lucy was even thinking of asking for a huge sum of money. Given her power and authority, she probably had more money than she knew what to do with.
Nevertheless, the magic commander needed a pretense to take action—like, for example, she’d been paid enough to do it. This wasn’t a matter of being greedy or not—it had a direct relation to the value and influence of Lucy Diamond and the magic corps. If she charged a low price, those less skilled than her would have to charge even lower. And as far as I knew, no wizard in the world surpassed her, so her lowballing would drive the price down for everyone. Lucy didn’t want that outcome.
“Whatever,” she said after a moment’s consideration. “I suppose I just happened to drop by while doing some sightseeing. I’ll put it on your tab.”
“Ha ha... Thanks.”
In the end, I would be paying her back later. Honestly, I didn’t have any money on me anyway. Technically, I was getting treated for free. I was grateful for this, but I never expected her to charge money to begin with. No, I owed her one now. I carried some trepidation about that, but anything she asked for would be cheap as long as it didn’t cost my life. If this meant I’d be able to move my arm again, I had no reason to refuse.
“Right then, let’s have a look.” She walked over to me from the doorway.
“Sure.”
My arm wasn’t going to get any worse, and even if it did, that wouldn’t affect our current situation. I had tremendous trust in Lucy’s magic, so I just relaxed my muscles. I couldn’t hold out my left arm for her, after all.
“From the shoulder down, I see...” Lucy observed. “Can you move it at all?”
“Not even a little,” I answered. “I can’t even wiggle my fingers.”
“Hmmm... Well, it should work out,” she casually concluded.
“H-How reassuring...”
If Lucy claims it’ll work out, I’m sure it will. I can trust her.
“Lysandra, mind locking the door?” Lucy asked. “Just in case—I can’t have this leaking outside.”
“O-Of course.”
It seemed she was getting right to it and making sure nobody found out while she was at it. Regardless of the circumstances, the magic commander was using wizardry free of charge at her own discretion. If this fact was leaked by a third party, it could affect Lucy’s position. Well, compared to her popping up here like it was nothing, that probably wouldn’t even be a huge deal.
“Who else knows?” Lucy asked.
“One adventurer,” I answered. “Two were with Surena when I saved her, but one was unconscious.”
“I see. Lysandra, can you do something about that one?”
“Consider it done,” Surena said. “He won’t talk.”
“Excellent.”
Lucy was referring to anyone who knew that my arm couldn’t move. The only other person who did was Pisces. She wanted to avoid having news spread that Lucy Diamond had easily healed Beryl Gardenant’s severe injury. But there was a need to seal Pisces’s mouth—it might require some money to pull off, but he didn’t seem like a bad person. Even if he did want to be compensated for his silence, I doubted it would take an exorbitant amount.
“Now then, let’s begin,” Lucy said. “Just so you know, you’d better relax your muscles. Don’t tense up, even by accident.”
“I’ll try... This is my first time.” I smiled wryly. The thought of putting in effort to relax was quite odd.
“Ha ha ha! Don’t worry—it doesn’t hurt.”
I’d used potions often and had gone to see a doctor plenty of times, but being healed by magic was a first for me. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. Everyone was a little skittish when experiencing something for the first time. Lucy had told me that there would be no pain, but I wasn’t sure how much I could trust her. However, now that it had come to this, I could only put my faith in her. That doesn’t really ease my nerves, though.
“Whoa...”
She didn’t fire herself up in any way or chant some ritual prayer. She simply focused on her hands and activated what I assumed to be healing magic. I felt a strange sensation within my body. It made me flinch a little.