I had no idea how to express it—the healing was like someone was gently stroking the inside of my body. If this had been offensive magic, the sensation would’ve probably been full of malice and pain. I hoped I would never experience that.
Several minutes after the somewhat ticklish sensation ran through my left arm, Lucy took a breath. “Phew. How’s that?”
“Amazing... I can move it now.”
I’d been focusing on not putting any strength into the left half of my body. After shifting my concentration to my fingers, I could feel my will being conveyed to my digits. I bent them one by one. All five were in working order.
Healing magic was truly amazing. Or maybe Lucy was just impressive for being able to use it to such a high degree. Now that I thought of it, she’d mentioned using magic to maintain her youthful figure. Her technique for manipulating the body must be realms apart from the average wizard. Maybe for her, restoring an immobile limb is a piece of cake.
A throb of pain ran through my shoulder as I tried to move it. “Gh...Lucy? It kinda hurts...”
“Aah, it’ll fade soon,” she told me. “Your body hasn’t properly recognized that it’s healed.”
I thought maybe the spell had failed, but it seemed my body hadn’t caught up with reality yet. Honestly, I didn’t really understand—I didn’t know enough about magic to be able to just nod along. I can at least trust whatever Lucy said. It was true that I could move my arm again, so I just needed to wait for my body to adjust.
“Master...! Thank goodness!”
“Thanks to you too, Surena. I must’ve worried you.”
“No, it was nothing!”
Surena had been staring intently during Lucy’s treatment. All the tension must’ve drained from Surena’s body after seeing my arm move. She grasped my hand and was practically on the verge of tears. I reached for her bowed head with my opposite hand and patted it.
I saw Surena as a much younger sister or even as a daughter. This was the same as always. However, that was only my personal perception of her. She was both a splendid adult and a black rank adventurer—one who was striving to settle a past trauma. She really was strong. A part of me hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was really all right for me to be so casually touching her head.
“You sure have it rough,” Lucy commented, perhaps spotting my indecision.
“That’s just how I am,” I told her.
She sighed. What else could I do? My personality had been baked into me slowly and surely over the years. No matter what happened, that wasn’t going to change overnight, even if there were parts of me that absolutely had to change.
“I can now face that monster without any anxiety about the future,” Surena said, steeling her resolve once more.
“Wait,” I cut in. “Now that I can move my arm, things are different. Let me help.”
I didn’t mean to deny her determination or anything. I believed it was necessary for her to move on. However, any worries about my own future as a swordsman had just vanished. I couldn’t possibly wait on the sidelines as she protected me.
If anyone told me, “You couldn’t even see Id Invicius’s attack, so what use would you be?” I wouldn’t really have known what to say. I was capable of moving my arm now, but that didn’t erase the fact that it’d caught me off guard.
However, both Surena and I were tied to this monster by fate. I had to make it pay for beating me up as a young man and sending me packing with my tail between my legs. This was a debt to be paid with its life. Now that we’d met again, as long as I continued aiming for the summit of swordsmanship, this was a hurdle I had to clear no matter what.
Surena paused for a moment to consider. “Understood. Let’s stand against it together, Master.”
“Thanks. I won’t look so pathetic this time.”
If Surena was determined to finish this, then it was my turn to show the same resolve. My feelings on the matter seemed to get through to her. Her grip around my hand changed from one of concern to a reassuring handshake.
“Aah, sorry for interrupting while you’re getting all fired up,” Lucy interjected. “Hwaaah... I’m going to sleep. Let’s pick this up again tomorrow.”
“Well... I guess I need to get used to my arm again. Surena?”
“I don’t mind. One or two days won’t change the situation.”
With that, Lucy yawned once more, her job here complete. Judging by her expression and tone, she really was exhausted—she’d been like this since entering the room. Lucy must’ve kept quite the reckless schedule on her way here. I wondered whether she’d been spurred on by concern for me and Surena or by her bottomless curiosity for the unknown. It was probably the latter, but I wanted to believe that she had been fueled by a small sliver of worry.
“I’m off to bed,” Lucy said. “Hwaaah... Later.”
“Ah, mm... Good night?”
Lucy left the room. She truly was intent on sleeping first thing in the morning.
At any rate, I could move my arm again. I wanted to show her my utmost gratitude. Things were a little hectic this time around, but I wanted to thank her properly later, entirely separate from the debt I now owed her.
“Okay, guess I should try training with my arm,” I said. “The sun’s just coming up—it’s the right time for it.”
“Allow me to accompany you,” Surena offered.
“Thanks. Don’t push yourself too hard. Tomorrow’s the real deal.”
“Yes, I’m well aware.”
I also had to prepare myself for tomorrow—in a somewhat different way. I had to regain the sensation in my left arm as soon as possible. As I tried to get out of bed with that thought in mind, I noticed that a lot of the discomfort I’d felt after waking up was gone. Did Lucy fix that too? I truly can’t thank her enough.
“Okay...”
She’d set the table for me, so I couldn’t let this end with some pathetic outcome.
Id Invicius—bring it on. Well, not that I can do anything on my own. I’m borrowing help from a ton of people, but that’s fine. The world is too vast to always fight alone.