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I pelted down the manor’s hallways at full speed—without using magecraft, of course. I arrived at Rose’s room in no time flat. Standing in front of it, for some reason, were Armeria and Cosmos.
“Armeria? And you too Cosmos? Why are you both here?”
“Hisui! Thank goodness you’re safe!” exclaimed Cosmos. The moment they saw me, they both wrapped their arms around me in a great hug, their combined weight pressing down on my body.
“While we were shopping today, Lady Rose...” Armeria trailed off.
“We were worried, so we came to check on her,” said Cosmos.
“Yes,” Armeria agreed.
“We couldn’t do anything to help, after all...” Cosmos sighed and bit her lip. Cosmos was ordinarily cheerful and vibrant, but now she was staring at the ground dejectedly.
“I know how you feel. If I were in your shoes, I’m sure I’d be upset too. But Lady Rose is really nice; I’m sure she won’t blame you guys for what happened. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Hugging back, I spoke gently to soothe them. “In fact, you should give her a big smile and chat with her once she’s better. I’m sure that’ll make her happier than seeing you all depressed like this.”
“Hisui...” murmured Cosmos.
“C’mon, don’t cry. A smile better suits you, Cosmos.”
Cosmos wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeve. She continued trembling as she desperately tried to keep from sobbing.
“Just leave this to me. I’ll break the curse on Lady Rose in a snap.” With that, I pulled away from my sisters. I exchanged a glance with the knight standing guard in front of Rose’s room, then entered alone.
Just as Claus had been in his own chambers, Rose lay prone atop her bed. Her complexion was far worse than Claus’s had been, however—while the curse had the same effects on them both, the differences in their ages and bodies had caused it to weigh heavier on Rose.
“Hang on a little longer, Lady Rose. The pain will be gone soon.” I approached Rose’s bedside. When I did, she opened her eyes at the precise moment I drew near. Had she sensed my presence?
“Lord...Hisui?” she weakly mumbled.
“Good evening, Lady Rose. I’ve come to save you.”
“I’m so sorry,” she began. Her speech was halting as she pushed the words out despite the pain she was suffering “I’m causing you...so much trouble...”
“Please, Lady Rose, it’s no trouble at all. The person who cursed you is the one in the wrong here, after all—you’re a victim. So please don’t think you’re troubling me.” I placed a hand over Rose’s own, then gently channeled godcraft energy into her.
“Ah! It hurts!”
“Try to bear with it. You’ll be fine soon, I promise. I’ll break the curse now.”
“All right. I...believe you...”
“I’ll save you. Don’t worry about anything.”
After I reassured her, she fell unconscious once more. Whether it was from relief or pain, I couldn’t tell. Regardless, there was only one thing for me to do. I gradually increased the amount of godcraft energy I was channeling into her, putting all my power into blasting away the curse that was eating through her body.
Rose’s agonized screams echoed through the room.
Armeria and Cosmos, who had been waiting in the hallway, tried to push their way into the room upon hearing Rose’s screams, but were barred from entry by the knights. Five minutes passed without anyone interrupting...and then the curse was gone from Rose’s body as well.
“I’m so tired,” I panted. I’d used a massive amount of energy in a short amount of time, and I had hardly any left now. Once I completely run out, I’d be overcome by a terrible feeling of heaviness, as if my body had turned to lead. Whether that could be called exhaustion or lethargy, I wasn’t sure.
I collapsed down to sit on the floor, and the three goddesses descended down from above me.
“You’ve used so much energy, Huey! I know we were the ones who okayed it, but don’t you think you went a little overboard?” asked Fouré, concerned.
I laughed tiredly in response. “This is nowhere near as overboard as the training I do with you guys.”
“Oh, so our training goes ‘overboard,’ does it? Is there something you wanted to share with us, Hisui?” In the blink of an eye, Aruna had leaned in close to me. Her amethyst eyes narrowed as if she were trying to read my mind. I was honestly a little scared.
“I-I was just kidding! Of course I don’t think your training is bad!”
“Hee hee,” snickered Cult. “I think Aruna does go a bit too far sometimes, though.”
“Whose side are you even on?” Aruna snapped.
“Dear Hisui’s, of course.”
“Sure, whatever you say.” Aruna shrugged. “Anyway, you’d best get up, Hisui. Your sisters are waiting to hear the results outside.”
“Yeah. I’d better tell them right away. If I don’t hurry, I can definitely see them bowling the knights over to charge in here.” Of course, neither of them really had the strength to do that—but they did have the guts and determination to try. I decided to report to the group waiting in the hall immediately, especially since the knights were also sick with worry.
Taking a deep breath, I roused my heavy body and stood. Plodding toward the exit, I turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. The moment I did, my two sisters peppered me with a series of questions.
“Hisui! Did something happen to Lady Rose?!” cried Armeria.
“We heard a loud scream coming from the room! Is she okay?!” asked Cosmos.
“Calm down, both of you. Lady Rose’s curse is no more. Right now, she’s fast asleep.”
Relief washed over Armeria and Cosmos, but they weren’t the only ones reassured by my words. The two knights who had been guarding the door also smiled and rejoiced.
Though I felt a little bad doing so, I shushed the group before their celebration got out of hand. “We should keep quiet until Lady Rose wakes on her own. It’d be bad for her health if we interrupted her sleep.”
“Okay. Let us return to our room, Cosmos,” said Armeria.
Cosmos hesitated for a moment before replying. “All right, fine. What about you, Hisui? Are you going home?”
“No. There’s something I still need to take care of.”
“Like what?” Armeria and Cosmos looked at me curiously. I turned my gaze away from them, though, looking at the knights.
“Where are the knights who were also afflicted?”
“They’re in the detached quarters next to the manor,” they explained.
I thanked them before turning to address my sisters once more. “I need to take care of that—there are people who still need my help. Wait for me here okay? And whatever you do, don’t go out.”
“All right.” Armeria nodded.
“We’ll stay here!”
Good girls. I doubted they’d rush into Claus’s or Rose’s room after this. I was especially worried Cosmos still might have, but I was sure Armeria would stop her. Waving to the two of them, I headed down to the barracks where the knights were staying.