Chapter 52: To the Capital
I woke up on the bed of a carriage.
Kuro was snuggled up next to me.
“Oh, thank goodness. You’re awake. Kuro appeared as soon as you were put on the carriage and hasn’t left your side since then.”
“Yes, thank you, Kuro.”
When I closed my eyes, it felt like I could sleep forever.
“Pauline, can you use your vision to see if Haru is safe until all those clouds disappear? Please!”
“Victor, I’m sorry. A Visionary wizard doesn’t use vision when an individual’s life is at risk. Although there are accidental glimpses sometimes, it has been decided based on past experiences.”
“I see. . .”
Pauline-san lifted Victor’s coat that was draped over me and examined my arms.
“Victor, did you use healing magic?”
“With my level of healing magic, it didn’t do much. I thought it was a burn and tried to cool it, but this doesn’t feel like a burn.”
“I’ve never seen such beautiful burn marks. It’s like a botanical painting drawn by an artist.”
I closed my eyes and listened to the voices around me. I could hear the voice of Prince Eldred.
“Pauline, there’s no doubt we’re heading to the capital, right?”
“Yes. In two days, at midnight, the magical power will drop in the square in front of the palace and the market.”
“I’ve already sent out messengers, but I’m sure the evacuation won’t be completed this time either.”
“We don’t have much time, and the people in the capital haven’t seen those golden clouds. It will be difficult to evacuate all at once. It’s not Your Highness’s responsibility that the evacuation is delayed, as the vision became clear only two days ago and I could pinpoint the location.”
After Pauline-san, I heard Victor’s voice.
“Your Highness, I will use my magic circle. It may create a large hole in the ground, but we can clear the area.”
“That’s right. Haru is probably in danger if we continue.”
There was silence. I’m sure Victor and Pauline-san were nodding silently.
“Victor, how about you? Do you still have enough magical power?”
“I’m still fine. My burnt-out veins have almost fully recovered.”
“I’ve never heard of burnt-out veins recovering.”
“Haru found a place where magical power wells up. When I bathe in it, I gradually recover.”
“What an invaluable ability. Haru is a treasure of our country.”
Another unnatural silence. Even with my eyes closed, I could see Victor and Pauline-san’s strained faces.
Half a day earlier than the golden clouds, the carriage carrying us arrived at the capital. Many soldiers and members of the Mage Corps gathered to welcome us. As soon as they saw them, Kuro disappeared.
“Your Highness! We have heard about the incident in Heartfield. We are truly relieved that you are safe!”
“Brent, I’m fine. Victor, Haru, and Pauline resolved the situation splendidly.”
When I managed to open my eyes, Brent Baynes, the captain of the Mage Corps, walked straight toward Victor and bowed beside the bed where I was lying.
“Victor, I heard about your remarkable achievements. I couldn’t protect you when you were treated like that. I’m sorry. It’s like this. I apologize to Haru-sama as well. I’m sorry.”
“Captain, being dismissed from the corps is already in the past. Right now, I want Haru to rest. Please let us use the bed.”
“Of course.”
Carrying me in his arms, Victor took me to the healing room in the royal palace. A middle-aged woman, a practitioner of healing magic, looked surprised when she saw the patterns on my arms but tried to treat them. However, no matter how many times she tried, the patterns wouldn’t disappear.
“With my healing magic, it doesn’t disappear at all. It seems this is not a burn or injury. In the first place, I can’t imagine having such beautiful injuries or burns.”
The delicate white patterns resembling a pen drawing of a vine-like plant remained on my forearms even after several days. I still felt tired and just lay down.
“If we consult an expert in deciphering ancient texts, they might be able to understand the meaning of these patterns. Hugh Drindle is the one. He should be knowledgeable about various ancient patterns. I’ll bring Hugh.”
After a while, an elderly man with a hunched back, Hugh Drindle-san, was brought into the room.
As soon as Hugh-san saw the pattern on my arm, he exclaimed,
“Oh, oh, to think that I would be able to see the Saint’s pattern with my own eyes.”
He knelt beside the bed where I was lying, clasping his hands over his own heart. It was the prayer pose of this country.
“The Saint’s pattern?”
Victor asked, and Hugh-san nodded repeatedly, explaining with an expression of deep emotion.
“In this country, it has been over two hundred years since the last appearance of a Saint. The last Saint was a poor farmer’s daughter. They say that she cured illnesses, calmed turbulent weather, and brought abundant harvests to the crops. However, the extent of the truth is unknown because records of Saints and heroes tend to be embellished and exaggerated.”
He paused briefly to take a breath before continuing.
“However, it is true that she saved the people. And it is said that delicate plant patterns appeared in white on the back of the Saint’s hand. Those patterns have been depicted and preserved. They are exactly the same as the patterns on Haru-sama’s arm.”
“Was the previous Saint’s pattern only on the back of her hand?”
Victor asked.
“Yes. It may be that the sacred power is so strong that the Saint’s pattern appears only on a wide area of both arms.”
Victor stared at my face, listening to the old man’s words in silence.
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