Chapter 150

Threads of Fate (1)

The county looked completely different.

The maid hadn't been lying about them smashing everything down and rebuilding it. Even the layout had changed. As she'd said, they had practically recreated the place.

"How long was I unconscious?"

"Today makes four days."

Four days.

Counting the journey back to the county, nearly a week had passed, but...

"And they've changed it that much?"

In just a few days?

"Yes!!"

The maids chorused again, their eyes sparkling.

"They rebuilt all our homes, too!"

"They're really wonderful!"

"There aren't any drafts, and it's not cold at all!"

"There's this gentle warmth coming up through the floor. It makes you feel like you're melting!"

"Once I lie down, I honestly can't get back up."

The maids' eyes went dreamy for a moment.

They must have really enjoyed it.

"And the windows open and close automatically! They close all by themselves when it rains or snows!"

"At night, the windows give off a soft glow!"

"It's really... like a house made with magic."

"But they said they didn't use any magic at all!"

Well, I knew how good Engineering Command was at construction.

And the maid wasn't entirely wrong to say the houses seemed to have been built with magic.

"... Magical engineering? They called it something like that. It's just amazing!"

Magical engineering (Arcane Engineering).

It was a discipline and technology born anew from the combination of magical studies and dwarven craftsmanship. Though derived from magical studies, it could be considered a technological system that had evolved in an entirely different direction.

Accordingly, it used a different kind of power, too.

Aether (Ether).

A modified form of magical power (Mana Force).

But its nature was slightly different from magical power.

["Strictly speaking, it's more accurate to define aether as mana itself."]

Iliana had gone on to explain this and that.

I felt rather bad about it, but anything beyond that had given me a headache, so I'd let it go in one ear and out the other. I couldn't use mana anyway, so I hadn't been particularly interested.

Anyway.

"They said they'll make Whitewolf Castle the finest of all!"

The maids were beside themselves with excitement.

... Well, a good thing was a good thing.

"That aside—"

I turned my gaze away from the window.

"What happened to everyone else? Are they all right?"

"The dwarven chief is badly injured."

Brumbar's entire body had been shattered fighting the ogre head-on.

Unbreakable[A+] only increased bodily hardness and durability. It didn't provide rapid recovery like Regeneration[B+]. In other words, those shattered bones and torn muscles would take a long time to heal, but...

"The Chief keeps moving around, saying there's something that needs fixing."

"The other dwarves have been trying to stop the Chief, but..."

Apparently, it wasn't working.

Then again, who could stop someone as stubborn as Brumbar? That stubbornness was ogre-sized, in this life and the last.

"Sir Kai is fine."

What else would you expect from that lunatic with Immortal Link[E]?

As long as Seraphia lived, Kai wouldn't die.

"But the Count still..."

The maids' excited faces darkened in an instant.

"The Count still hasn't woken up."

"Seraphia?"

"... Yes."

"Where is she now?"

"In her bedroom."

I immediately set off for Seraphia's bedroom.

* * *

Fortunately(?), I didn't suffer the mishap of getting lost.

With my ESP-level Agility letting me see through my surroundings, there was no chance of that anyway. Besides, the castle was just as I remembered it, as though the dwarves hadn't touched it yet.

When I reached Seraphia's bedroom, I found Kai outside the door.

It looked as though he'd been tending to her.

"You're awake. Are you feeling all right?"

"As you can see. How's Seraphia?"

Kai's expression darkened, his eyes trembling ever so slightly.

... Apparently, not well.

I opened the door and entered to find Seraphia lying in bed.

Her face had turned deathly white. Her breathing was shallow and uneven, and her faintly trembling fingertips twitched in tiny spasms.

"How long has she been like this?"

"Ever since she lost consciousness."

"... Lost consciousness?"

"She fainted right after you collapsed, Lord Adrian."

I'd passed out first, so I hadn't known what happened.

Seraphia had been controlling the Arcanoheart's runaway energy—power that even my ogre-evolved body hadn't been able to withstand. She'd already exceeded her limits.

And on top of that, she'd held my disintegrating body together.

"Has she improved?"

Kai shook his head slightly.

Judging by his expression, there hadn't been even a hint of improvement.

"... It's similar to what happened with the lycanthrope."

Seraphia had fallen ill after the lycanthrope incident.

With her lips blue now, her symptoms certainly resembled those she'd had back then.

I activated Predatory Instincts[S].

==<Character Information>==

Name : Seraphia Whitewolf

Classification : Kingdom Animalia, Class Mammalia, Family Hominidae, Human

Sex : Female

Age : 16

Traits : Authority of Bitter Cold[P]

... Nothing in particular had changed.

In other words, this wasn't the curse of bitter cold[P]. Unlike the lycanthrope incident, the Authority of Bitter Cold[P] itself wasn't causing the problem.

This time, I added Find Weakness[U] and examined her condition closely.

Constricted blood vessels. Reduced circulation.

A slowed heartbeat. Restricted oxygen supply.

Even respiratory paralysis and nervous system damage.

"It's not that she's healing slowly."

"Then..."

"Her ability to heal has stopped functioning entirely."

Seraphia had drawn on her Authority beyond her limits.

Eventually, its cold had escaped her control and seeped into her own body, freezing each and every cell. As a result, her bodily tissues had been utterly destroyed.

The out-of-control Authority had caused permanent tissue damage.

Ultimately, it wasn't a problem with her Authority, and yet it was.

Seraphia's body was no different from a human's. That meant damage to her hormone-secreting endocrine system was irreversible; once damaged, it couldn't recover.

"Then with the same medicine as last time—"

"It won't help."

Iliana's medicine from last time couldn't treat this. After all, this was a matter of damaged bodily tissue.

But since it was, as I'd said, a matter of damaged tissue...

"Have you tried healing potions?"

Kai gave a small nod.

And yet, there had been no improvement at all. In that case, this had to be cellular destruction, not mere cellular damage.

Or perhaps...

'Did the power of annihilation act on her, like Leon mentioned?'

If so, her cells might actually have been annihilated.

Either way, ordinary healing potions wouldn't be enough.

At minimum, she needed my Regeneration[B+]. Perhaps even Hyper Regeneration[A].

But Hyper Regeneration[A] required 3,200 Sanity. More importantly, I couldn't regenerate anyone but myself.

Deep despair settled over Kai's face, but...

"Don't worry. There's a way to treat her."

That didn't mean we were out of options.

Strictly speaking, this was easier. There wasn't really anything to worry about.

After all, this continent possessed a truly absurd power capable of regenerating other people.

Divine power, the ultimate aura.

By bringing a god who existed beyond perception into reality, divine power went beyond the absurd to make even the impossible possible.

From simple healing to purification, blessings, prophecy, and even resurrection.

All of this is the power of God!

It was an expression of that collective belief.

In other words, divine power could treat Seraphia's condition.

Unlike me, she could benefit from its effects, so that wouldn't be a problem... except...

'I think we'll need a high-ranking priest.'

Her condition was serious, after all.

Naturally, Isolde was the first person who came to mind.

'Isolde would be a bit difficult.'

For one thing, I had no way of contacting her personally.

Isolde was a Saintess revered and idolized by everyone. The very idea of a mere wastrel like me attempting to contact her was problematic.

... That was one reason, but there was more.

An enormous number of love letters addressed to Isolde poured into the papal hall.

Divine power, that ultimate aura, had "sculpted" her into the most perfect beauty humans could imagine. It inspired faith even in those who'd had none, driving applications to become holy knights in the Holy Kingdom to an all-time high.

Half the Holy Kingdom's holy knights had enlisted because of Isolde. It was also why Divine Command had had the most personnel back in the allied army.

As a result, even if I tried contacting her personally, my letter would never reach her. It would end up as kindling at the papal hall.

'Besides, Isolde draws attention in all sorts of ways.'

... Better not create an unnecessary headache.

'An archbishop should be enough.'

Of course, summoning an archbishop wouldn't be easy, either.

'I can just ask Leon.'

Borrowing the royal court's name to make a request to the papal hall would settle things quickly.

I'd need to come up with a suitable pretext, though.

What if I told Leon that Seraphia was ill?

He'd obviously drop everything and rush over. And there was no predicting what he'd do.

... Better not create an unnecessary headache.

If I simply said a plague had broken out in the county...

'Is a plague going a bit too far?'

If the wrong rumors spread, that would create a headache of its own.

Then perhaps I could say someone was severely injured and needed healing...

'That's a little weak.'

It was a weak justification for requesting an archbishop.

In that case, what if I said an unknown curse or magical contamination had appeared in the county?

'That should do.'

If I rattled off the magical knowledge I'd learned from Iliana, even Leon's Present Vision[L] wouldn't be able to figure it out.

* * *

The Garden of Divine Brilliance.

This place, whose name meant a garden where sacred light dwelt, was a sanctuary built atop the papal hall's mountain peak.

It was a training ground of sorts.

Ordinarily, priests' training involved no movement, for divine power was founded on faith in God.

Rather than moving their bodies, the essence of their practice was to cultivate their inner selves through quiet meditation and devout prayer.

But the Garden of Divine Brilliance taught a different path.

Lumentius, founder of Divine Martial Fist and the twenty-seventh Saint, had emphasized the importance of martial strength. One had to do more than harbor the light; one had to be capable of putting that light into action.

The garden had been established in accordance with his teachings. Here, the Holy Kingdom's holy knights trained their divine power through their bodies.

The Holy Kingdom's Saintesses and Saints also withdrew here from the clamor of the secular world, honing Divine Martial Fist and coming to understand God's teachings.

That history had now reached its 213th holder.

For thousands of years, the training here had never once ceased, and yet...

"Your Eminence, will you not be training today?"

"That's right. Not today."

Isolde's answer was brief.

Yet those few words shocked Erdan. Wasn't this the same Isolde who never missed a single day of training?

Unless exceptional circumstances prevented it, she never skipped her practice. Even when she wasn't honing Divine Martial Fist, cultivating her inner self through meditation and prayer was an unchanging part of her daily life.

Today, however, she was doing nothing.

She merely sat demurely on the light-washed stone floor.

... That silence felt utterly unfamiliar.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, it's not that. It's just—"

Isolde slowly raised her gaze. Watching the clouds drifting across the sky, she whispered softly,

"I feel as though I haven't done my homework."

"What homework might that be...?"

Isolde didn't answer.

She didn't explain what the homework was about or whose assignment it was. Her topaz-like eyes simply followed the drifting clouds.

Erdan fell silent.

A breeze passed quietly through the garden, rustling its leaves.

... At some point, Isolde seemed to have changed.

Her manner was flawless. Her composure, unshakable.

Seated demurely on the stone floor, she looked like a sacred painting. She remained a noble being who radiated light from every angle.

But how could he describe it?

Or rather, when had it begun?

Every so often, a subtle ripple of emotion entered her normally even voice. Occasionally, a faint smile lingered on her usually impassive face.

Had she grown gentler than before?

Or should he say more human?

Isolde was as noble as ever, yet there was something unmistakably different about her.

Just then...

"Your Eminence, this has just arrived from the Eye of the Pilgrim."

An attendant priest approached slowly, a sealed letter in his hand.

"Prince Leon of the Kingdom of Battenberg has sent it urgently to Your Eminence."

The Kingdom of Battenberg had recently been in an uproar over a rebellion. Isolde had heard the news as well.

The attendant priest knelt and presented the letter. Isolde accepted it and read its contents.

* * *

[Urgent Letter to Cardinal Isolde]

▶Privy Seal of the Kingdom of Battenberg's Royal Court

▶[Urgent Letter] ──Seal Classification: Highest

: The princess consort is currently critically ill. Given the gravity of the situation, I beseech you, Cardinal Isolde—

* * *

Princess consort?

... Had Prince Leon married?

She remembered no such thing. Even if it hadn't been long since he'd seized power, a royal wedding should naturally have been announced to the outside world.

Continuing the royal family's bloodline was not something that could be kept secret.

Which meant there was another request here. Some hidden circumstance.

In other words, the princess consort was merely a false cover story. He was likely trying to convey a different intention...

* * *

... Should Your Eminence Isolde act swiftly, the Kingdom of Battenberg pledges eternal friendship to the Holy Kingdom—

... We promise to refuse no request whatsoever—

... This is a covenant made on the honor of the royal court of Battenberg—

... We shall actively cooperate in any future matter that serves the Holy Kingdom's interests—

... Furthermore, we pledge to provide any necessary resources and supplies—

* * *

He sounded ready to give away everything he had.

At this point, it was practically a treaty of unconditional surrender.

"...?"

What on earth was wrong with him?

The handwriting grew increasingly erratic as the letter went on, as though his hand had been trembling.

Somehow, it was almost pitiful.

The last sentence, in particular, was heavily smudged...

* * *

... I humbly implore you, most earnestly, please, pleeease... saaave the princess consort...

* * *

"...????"

Isolde's eyes filled with utter bewilderment.