Chapter 94
Clang.
I swung my legs out of bed and urgently grabbed Pia by the shoulders to lift her up.
“Pia, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
“Sniff, sniff…”
Pia, with her face all flushed like a ripe tomato, looked up at me with a dazed expression, as if she were bewitched. I lightly shook her shoulders and said,
“Did an enemy get in? Did you get hit by dark magic or something…? This is bad. I need to call someone else.”
“Yes, I’ll go get them.”
Pia, still dazed, listened to what I said and jumped up out of her seat, racing out of the room. It happened so fast that I didn’t even have a moment to react.
“Hey!? Wait a second, Pia! Don’t go alone! Let’s go together!”
I hurriedly jumped off the bed to run after Pia.
Clang!
“Ah…”
The chain attached to my ankle went taut right at the door. Though it was longer than I thought, it still looked like I couldn’t escape the room.
‘If Pia is under some sort of magical influence, this could be dangerous. I really should just chop off my ankle and get rid of these shackles.’
After coming to that conclusion, I summoned Gargandoa. Unlike usual, the cursed sword appeared without much impact and spoke urgently.
[Partner! Are you okay?!]
‘Uh, yeah, I’m fine.’
[What the heck happened for me to be summoned back? You fainting shouldn’t lead to my unsummoning…]
As the cursed sword muttered to itself, deep in thought, I moved towards the bathroom. It’d be easier to clean up blood in there.
Click.
[It’s clear that those guys who disappeared must have done something. They probably cast dark magic or something…]
Ignoring the cursed sword’s ramblings, I opened the bathroom door and went inside. The shackle’s chain was long enough for me to get into the bathroom easily, but the door wouldn’t close.
I grabbed a folding chair resting on the side, set it up in the bathroom, and sat down. After putting the shackled leg over the other, I lifted up the cursed sword.
[Just in case something like this happens again, we need to be prepared… Huh? Partner, what’s with that shackle?]
‘The kids got worried and put it on me. It’s uncomfortable so I’m trying to take it off.’
[Ha! A cursed sword like me can slice through that piece of metal in no time!]
A lightbulb went off in my head.
‘…Wait a minute. If I break the shackle instead of my ankle, that could work!’
Shouting ‘Eureka!’ in my head, I addressed the sword.
“So, do you want to cut it off yourself?”
[Sure thing! Just watch my skills!]
Swish.
Having taken control, the cursed sword started to move gracefully. Its flashy gestures, more focused on style than practicality, swept across the shackle on my ankle.
Swoosh.
The beautifully cut shackle clanged down onto the floor. I was left gaping at the surreal sight.
“Wow, that’s actually impressive.”
[Heh heh heh, more! Praise my greatness!]
Clapping as if I were cheering for a puppy, I exclaimed, “Well done, well done!” The cursed sword vibrated with excitement.
After tossing the broken shackle into the trash, I twisted my ankle a bit. Even though it had been somewhat light, wearing that heavy hunk of metal had left it a bit swollen.
It hurt just enough to nag me with every step, but not enough for me to collapse on the floor. Spraying cold water on my ankle with the showerhead, I exited the bathroom.
‘Alright, time to chase after Pia.’
I headed straight for the door. Just as I got close to the entrance…
“Is Lian oppa there?”
“Yeah, he told me to bring you.”
“…!”
Lily and Pia’s voices came through clearly outside the door, which showed just how close they were. My gaze dropped to my ankle.
‘Yikes, if they see that the shackle is gone, they’ll definitely try to put it back on!’
Without turning back, I dashed to the bed and dove under the covers, just as I was tucking myself in.
Knock, knock.
I heard a knock on the door. Quickly unsummoning the sword I was holding, I called out.
“Uh, who is it?”
“It’s Lily. Can I come in, oppa?”
“Yeah, come on in.”
With my permission, the door opened and in walked Pia and Lily.
“Oppa, are you hurt?!”
Thinking I was in pain because I was under the covers, Lily rushed beside the bed. I pulled the blanket down slowly and said,
“No, I’m fine. Just lying down because the blanket’s cozy.”
“Really? You’re sure you’re not hurt?”
“Nope, I’m all good.”
Sitting up, I raised both my hands to reassure her, and Lily sighed in relief.
“That’s such a relief. If something hurts, you have to tell us right away, okay?”
Nodding vigorously, I noticed her worried expression softening.
“So, why did you call me?”
“Oh, um…”
Just as I was about to say ‘Pia seems a little off,’ I noticed a stain on Lily’s sleeve.
“Lily, what’s that on your clothes…?”
“Huh? Oh…”
Following my gaze, Lily looked at her sleeve where a red stain was spreading on her beige shirt. She awkwardly twisted her body as she spoke.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I must’ve gotten something on it earlier.”
“Really?”
“Of course—”
Before Lily could finish,
“That’s a lie.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
Pia, who had been standing quietly as if she were invisible, suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Lily’s wrist. She yanked up Lily’s sleeve to reveal the stain.
“Ah! Sister?!”
“It’s not just some stain; it’s blood from a wound.”
Pia flashed a ‘Did I do well?’ look at me while showing the blood-soaked gauze. Lily hurriedly shoved Pia away and pulled her sleeve back down.
“It’s really nothing. I just scratched it on something sharp…”
Lily trailed off, biting her lip. Watching her, I thought,
‘In this dark fantasy world, serious wounds can mean death. She’s not some gag character.’
As I realized this, Lily looked like she was about to fall off the deep end.
“It should be me lying down, not you! Come here! Lay down!”
“Uh? Uh, what?”
I pulled Lily down onto the bed. In contrast, I got off the bed and pulled the blanket over her neck. Lily looked up at me, confused. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice that the shackle was missing from my ankle.
“I’ll go fetch a doctor… or rather, a healer.”
“But I’m a healer…?”
“Isn’t there someone else?”
“There’s someone, but…”
Lily was rifling through her thoughts, clearly flustered by the sudden turn of events. Then Pia, who was standing nearby, stepped forward and said,
“Ah, as expected, Lian-nim…”
“Huh?”
“You can’t just leave someone writhing in pain….”
Mumbling something I couldn’t catch, Pia suddenly knelt down in front of me.
“I’ll follow your will too.”
“Uh, sis, what’s up with you?”
“Lily, don’t you think Pia seems a bit off? Could she have fallen victim to magic?”
Seeing Pia look worse than Lily, I quickly asked, and Lily nodded, trying to get out of bed. I stopped her with a raised hand and said,
“It seems best that both of you lay down. Lily, can you help Pia?”
“I’m okay, oppa. Let’s just lay down Pia.”
“What are you saying?! You’re bleeding from your arm!”
Lily gazed at me, lips pressed tight, with worry flooding her eyes like a tide of emotions. Instinctively looking away, I said,
“Let’s just get Pia lying down first.”
The moment I bent down to grab hold of Pia’s shoulders,
Bam!
My left hand suddenly erupted in a dazzling glow.
“Huh?”
The soft white light with a golden hue brightened the room, banishing the darkness away. It was so bright it could dazzle you without hurting your eyes. I stared at the back of my shimmering hand, dumbfounded.
“Oh! God!”
I was so flabbergasted I couldn’t even catch what Pia was saying. The light gradually dimmed as time passed.
Silence cloaked the room.
“What… what is this?”
“Gasp…”
Murmuring while gazing at the back of my hand, I heard someone draw in a sharp breath beside me. Lily, who had gotten out of bed, was now staring wide-eyed at my radiant hand. Meanwhile, Pia had lowered her head to the floor, mumbling something.
I was too engrossed in the engraved mark on my hand to help Pia up. It was a geometric pattern, with a feather design at its center, sprouting beautiful tendrils like a vine.
The white tendrils branched out from my hand to my wrist, giving the impression that a plant had taken root there.
‘This has to be… the mark left by the god of this dark fantasy world?’
As I stared at the divine-looking pattern, waves of unknown information crashed into my mind.
“Ah.”
I inhaled sharply and stood up, turning to look at Lily. She seemed completely lost for words, her lips moving but failing to form words.
I walked over to her, reaching out towards her injured arm.
‘This is definitely how you use it.’
With certainty, I focused my consciousness on the back of my left hand.
Bam!
The serene golden light that had flickered out flared back up. A warm, comforting energy, reminiscent of a gentle embrace, enveloped Lily’s arm.
Instantly, her wound vanished without a trace.
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