I summoned a Dark Ball and hurled it at Alba for daring to speak such nonsense. The knight was blown back, damaging the house’s entrance on his way to the rocky ground. Everyone was stunned, but I paid them no heed. I walked over to Alba and coldly gazed down at him.
My spell had blown a hole through the armor on his torso, exposing his toned abs. I can’t believe that my spell couldn’t penetrate him.
“I don’t remember permitting you to speak,” I said. “How dare you ramble on and on about silly affairs. I wished to blow a hole through you, but you’re rather sturdy. I’ll admit that you’re impressive, fitting to be the captain of the Dark Knights.”
Alba wiped the blood from his mouth and freed himself of the rock, then knelt in front of me as though nothing had occurred.
“If I have offended you in any way, I do apologize,” he said.
“Enough. Begone,” I ordered. “You’re an eyesore.”
“Yes, my lord. And I shall bring an excellent physician for you posthaste. I ask for a bit more of your patience.”
He melted into his shadow and vanished. This spell, known as Shadow Move, allowed the user to slip from one shadow to the next. Teleportation magic was highly advanced and required great skill, so Alba’s ability to use such a power nonverbally was proof of his excellence. Still, his demeanor always rubbed me the wrong way.
“Sorry that I broke your entrance,” I said. “I’ll pay for the damages.”
A stunned Greig cracked a forced smile and a less-than-enthusiastic thumbs-up. “H-Hey, don’t worry about it, sport! I thought I could use a window right about there anyway. Come on in!”
Fol furrowed her brows and violently tugged on the edge of my mantle.
“Hey, you’re taking things too far!” she shouted. “That white-haired dude’s your soldier, isn’t he? Why the hell would you throw a spell at him?”
She’s scolding me... Why? Why are you angry? Shouldn’t you be pissed that I just broke your front door? I don’t get why you’re so upset about Alba...
“Whatever. Let’s go in,” she urged.
“Hey, don’t pull,” I said. “I can walk by myself.”
And so, she dragged me into her house.
✶✶✶
I sat on the sofa. Carlos was to my right, casting healing magic on me, and Fol sat on my left to wrap my wound with bandages that she must’ve gotten from the clinic. As I was receiving treatment, a Dark Knight arrived with a black wand in hand.
Right, Alba said that he’d send over an excellent physician, I thought.
The knight removed their helm and elegantly bowed in front of me. She was a young lady. I had no idea that there were women in the Dark Knights. Though she was in her armor, she did a little curtsy, motioning as if pinching the hem of her invisible skirt. Her movements were fluid and elegant. She must be the daughter of a noble, but she’s awfully young. She looks to be in her early twenties at most, or maybe even in her late teens. The Dark Knights valued pure ability, so I knew that her skills had been proven.
When she raised her hand and gazed at my body, she saw that I was covered in bandages and that my left arm was gone. Her eyes widened with surprise, and I could quite literally see the blood drain from her face.
“E-Excuse me,” the knight stammered.
I could see her trembling as she approached me, paying no heed to Fol who was beside me. The knight drew her face close to my left elbow, where my arm once was, and scrutinized it carefully.
“I heard that you were injured, but I never expected this...” she murmured. “You were walking on your own, so I assumed your wounds were far less serious.”
“Enough blabbering,” I said. “Hurry up and treat me. You’re a skilled physician, aren’t you?”
“I shall treat you; that goes without saying. However, this wound isn’t so shallow and easy to heal. I can see traces of powerful mana enveloping your left side, almost like a curse. I heard that you went out to sea to subjugate a monster, but what exactly did you fight against, my lord? Did you battle an ancient dragon of the highest rank? A divine beast?”
She looked like she was about to burst into tears as she gazed at my wound, likely inspecting the mana that enveloped my injuries. It seemed the Wicked Whale’s attacks left something like a curse on my body. I didn’t expect her to be so adept at seeing mana, though. It seemed the mana on my wound allowed her to peek a glimpse into the whale’s power.
“No, I fought against a whale monster that had a bit more mana than most,” I explained. “I killed it, of course, but yes, it was as powerful as an ancient dragon.”
Or perhaps even stronger. The ancient spells that had supposedly existed since the time of the gods hadn’t been enough to finish the monster off; I was forced to use the Founder’s Charm.
“What I’m getting at is that it’s a creature that humanity couldn’t have possibly stood a chance against,” the knight said. “I shall do what I can, but I suspect that regenerating your lost arm is, well... I apologize, my lord. That is simply beyond me.”
She bowed deeply, and I gazed at my lost left arm as I nonchalantly thought about having a cutting-edge artificial arm made for me. I felt oddly calm.
“What about my left eye?” I asked.
“Excuse me,” the knight said once more as she peered into my eye. “How much can you see out of it?”
“Nothing at all. I’m totally blind on my left.”
“I see... I shall do my best for this as well, but I believe it will be difficult to restore your vision back to what it originally was.”
“That so...”
This one came as no surprise. Really, I had expected as much. Even when I channeled my mana into my left eye, I felt nothing at all. It was as though that eye didn’t exist in the first place.
“I understand,” I said. “Could you begin treating me?”
She nervously nodded. “I shall do my utmost best.”