“Wow.”
Lars swung his wand with admiration.
It was a level 7 spell, thought to be the limit of what living beings could achieve. The sight of seven massive magic circles rotating and glowing was an awe-inspiring display in itself.
—Kwaaah!
The massive fire spirit summoned by Lars let out a powerful blaze as it unleashed a torrent of flames.
Sparks flew in all directions.
Yet Acella felt a gentle warmth from the flames that touched her. It was the spirit’s generous characteristic towards allies.
It felt exactly like Lars’ body heat.
“Prince, you made a contract with Ifrit.”
“Right? I didn’t expect it to be this intense.”
It was a grand spirit governing the four elements. Acella gazed in awe at the enormous form embodying the essence of fire.
‘My master was a spirit magician after all.’
Seymour had devoted his life to the study of spirit magic.
While it was a farewell gift he left for his beloved disciples, a level 7 spell was far too excessive.
“――――!!!”
Camilla was reduced to ashes, unable to even scream from the unimaginable heat only a human could hardly envision.
Tentacles summoned by high-level black magic disintegrated back into nothingness, down to the last sucker.
Amid the chaos, Camilla squeezed her nails with all her might.
—Hwaak!
A magic circle was drawn, and arrows of magical energy were launched.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
—Chaeng!
Acella quickly responded by erecting an ice shield in front of Lars.
“Phew, you’re quick on the draw.”
Despite the casual tone, Lars was sweating.
Though borrowing the magic circle and mana, the contract with the grand spirit had been made by Lars himself.
It was clear the strain was taking a toll on his body.
‘Lars, you again.’
Acella bit her lower lip.
Was her suspicion toward him misplaced?
For the first time in her life, she began to doubt her own judgment.
In her life, could he not be the only one she could trust?
Lars always came running to her, just like now.
Was it her selfishness that made her need to hear his thoughts directly through his mouth in order to feel reassured?
‘…No.’
Seymour’s advice of having a conversation with him popped into her mind.
Thinking back, she realized she hadn’t been honest with him either.
Of course, it was only natural that Lars wouldn’t understand her feelings.
“Phew.”
Lars’ arm drooped, clearly struggling.
What a frail man. He’s swaying under the weight of that measly wand.
Acella stood silently beside Lars.
She lifted his arm to support him.
“Your Majesty, please step back. I’ll take care of this.”
“It’s okay. It’s just that I’m worried about Mother, right?”
“Well…”
Finally, Acella had resolutely steeled her heart.
She was prepared to sever ties with her only family, who was nothing but an evildoer.
‘It’s okay.’
Because the man before her would be her new family.
If he didn’t love her as much as she loved him, she’d make him love her somehow.
That’s just how it is, Acella von Württemberg.
The mana from the reservoir was running low.
Once this was over, the level 7 spell would drain all of Lars’ mana.
She needed to finish it before that happened.
“Ifrit!”
In response to Acella’s determination, the fire spirit unleashed a more ferocious blast of flames.
The hands of the two intertwined were engulfed in radiance.
*
“It’s over.”
The Emperor declared quietly.
The battle had ended. The traces of the black magician Camilla were nowhere to be found.
He briefly honored his wife with a moment of silence and then shouted forcefully.
“End the subjugation! Withdraw!”
At the Emperor’s command, the knights regrouped. The healers tended to the injured.
In the midst of the bustling surroundings, Acella met Lars’ eyes.
“Prince.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Your Majesty. Let’s take a rest for today.”
“Yeah.”
Regardless of her status as an evildoer, she had lost her biological mother today.
Lars, wanting to consider Acella a bit, initiated some conversation.
“Shall we play with Max when we return to the Moonlight Palace?”
“Why Max?”
“Animal therapy is great for times like this. Throwing a frisbee would surely lift your spirits.”
“Max is too chubby to catch a frisbee well.”
“That’s what makes it funny.”
“Pfft, that’s true.”
Acella chuckled as she pictured Max in her mind.
“If the prince joins in, then I’ll go.”
“Me? I’m not really into running around…”
Does this man really lack awareness, or is he just teasing me?
Seeing Acella sulk, Lars showed an awkward expression.
“Understood. Let’s do it together.”
“Okay.”
Acella found herself smiling involuntarily as her mood improved.
‘…Playing with Lars is nice, too.’
Once this subjugation was over, she promised to go out together.
Only the two of them. A secret time that nobody else knew about.
She had commanded Lars to express his feelings for once.
‘…If Lars keeps hesitating.’
I’ll be the first to speak up.
I love him, Acella von Württemberg.
He’s sure to be happy.
Even if he feels uncertain right now, he will surely fall into passionate love soon.
Honestly, I’m much more beautiful than Heike or Lauga.
Being beautiful is important.
Yeah. Lars must have feelings for me, too.
We already kissed…
…There’s no way he doesn’t. I’m probably overthinking.
Really, why do I have to care so much about Lars?
…Still, I want to go quickly.
As various thoughts filled her mind, Acella accidentally quickened her pace.
Seeing Lars fall in step beside her, she felt a subtle joy.
Then it happened.
“Teacher!!”
Tanya was the first to react, crying out urgently.
Acella and Lars, regardless of who was first, glanced down at their feet.
—Puhak!
But before they could react, a surge of black energy shot up, knocking Lars away.
“Prince!”
Acella’s panicked expression was engulfed by the dark energy.
It ripped and tore, burning, melting, and leaving a dreadful sight in its wake.
—Acella…!
A soul in the form of Camilla stood before her.
Soulwork. The forbidden sorcery that allowed spirits to still move as evil spirits even after death.
—If you had just listened…!
Acella’s face turned pale with fear.
—You should have just become Emperor and spread black magic…!
She immediately swung her wand to draw a magic circle, but her arm was seized.
—If I can’t have it back, I’ll destroy it…!
Camilla shot a bolt of black mana towards Acella’s abdomen.
“Ugh…!”
A pain spread through Acella’s abdomen like a calamity with no warning. She gasped and clutched her stomach.
Even in that moment, she held onto her sanity, refusing to let her legs give out.
“You witch!”
At that moment, the Emperor and Tanya simultaneously pierced Camilla with their swords.
The black soul crumbled with a splat and melted into the ground, vanishing.
“Your Majesty!”
Lars rushed immediately to Acella and supported her. Only then did she release her strength and lean on him.
“…Lars.”
“Yes, I’m here.”
“…I think it hurts.”
“You were honest this time. I’ll treat you right away.”
Lars pulled out a syringe from his coat and got ready to act.
*
“How are you feeling now?”
“Not hurting at all. Just a bit dazed.”
Sitting on the bed, Acella gulped down the glass of water I handed her.
“What happened?”
“The black magician subjugation was a success. His Majesty has decided to reward the Moonlight Palace for the surgery case and the arrest of the true culprit.”
“That’s good news.”
Thud. Acella irritably placed the glass on the table.
“You don’t seem very thrilled.”
“I’m upset over Camilla. The prince and I had planned to play frisbee, but why am I stuck in bed on such a sunny afternoon?”
“Uh… wasn’t frisbee meant for Max?”
“Oh my, I was thinking of seeing who between Max and the prince will fetch better.”
“Goodness, then if it makes the princess happy, I’ll have to run on all fours.”
Acella’s mood brightened at my reply and she let out a small chuckle.
[No. 101: Magic Explosion 11% → 13%]
Despite Acella’s attitude, the likelihood of a magic explosion was subtly increasing.
This didn’t mean she was in any particular danger; it merely indicated that her debuff was more likely to escalate.
It was due to the last trick Camilla had played.
‘I’ve completed the detailed examination.’
I had confirmed the state of the curse inside Acella with an MRI.
The dark area previously measured 7.2cm in diameter and 3.8cm in length.
I noticed it had expanded by about 0.2cm. Moreover, the noise range had also increased.
‘Camilla must have tried to kill Acella.’
She likely thought, since she had already failed, that she might as well wreak havoc. Black magicians, after all.
The expansion of the affected area was a very bad sign. Especially in such a peculiar case, if the examination doesn’t go well, the situation would worsen.
‘I need to keep monitoring and documenting the changes.’
The best thing would be to operate on Acella as soon as possible.
‘But the risk is too high.’
Thanks to my experience operating on the Emperor, I was confident.
However, during that time, due to the raging curse, part of the organ had to be removed.
I was fortunate in that regard; what if the curse spread throughout the entire organ?
Then there would be no way to act, and Acella would die.
If Acella dies, the regime would collapse and perish.
Moreover, realizing that this was the same curse that had killed Camilla in the original timeline made it even more daunting.
Healing spells originally didn’t work on Acella.
That meant they had a property of nullifying divine power against curses.
As a doctor, I definitely did not want to see a patient die on the operating table.
‘No, more than that.’
Somehow, I didn’t want Acella to die…
Life certainly is full of surprises.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
Acella tilted her head and asked.
I was sitting in front of the bed, leaning towards her as I replied.
“Your Majesty, I promised you at some point.”
“I don’t remember which promise you’re talking about. We have so many promises.”
“Haha, did you really remember all of them? You can forget one or two.”
“I remember all the debts I owe to the prince.”
That’s a bit scary.
“Do you mean the promise to go out together? I would be okay with doing that the day after tomorrow.”
“Let’s put that off a little. For now, we must prioritize absolute stability and monitor your condition closely.”
“…Okay.”
Acella couldn’t hide her disappointment.
“I mean, it’s about the promise I made to definitely cure you.”
“Yeah.”
I reaffirmed my resolve, as if making a vow to myself.
“I will definitely fulfill it. And soon.”
“Of course, you have to.”
Acella smiled widely, as if she didn’t harbored any doubts at all.
“You are my attending physician, who will become the Emperor of the Empire.”
It was a statement that was neither a joke nor a pretense, but rather a heartfelt truth.
Well, being made her attending physician wasn’t like she was doing me a favor.
The fact that Acella trusted me as a competent doctor felt quite gratifying.
I rose from my seat.
“There will be some drowsiness from the medication, so please take a nap. If you feel any pain, just call me at any time. You can sleep well into the night.”
Just as I was about to snuff out the candle and leave, Acella called me back hesitantly.
“Prince.”
“Yes?”
“…Right now, I…”
“Hmm? What’s on your mind?”
When I turned back, Acella was pulling the blanket up to her chin, avoiding my gaze.
Thanks to my diet plan, her nutritional balance had improved, and she was entering a growth phase, quickly maturing recently.
Why did I suddenly think that? It was simply because Acella, with rosy cheeks, had a face that looked more like a woman than a girl.
She whispered in a small voice.
“…You can stay with me now.”
I had never seen Acella in such a girlish manner before.
It was a bit shocking, but I recovered quickly.
“Haha, I’d like to write this in my autobiography someday: ‘The 7th Emperor of the Empire lived with a stuffed toy.’ When would you like to graduate?”
“Shut up.”
Acella buried her face in her knees but stretched her arms towards me.
It had been a while, and it was amusing.
I got into her bed and pat her back until she fell asleep.
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