The voice that had been transmitted through the Holy Key was cut off. Gerard confirmed that its power was lost. However, as a precaution, he collected the Holy Key itself for Kuro’s storage. After taking a single glance at Zildra’s corpse, he headed towards Efil, who was protected by a crimson flame.
“Efil, Zildra has been defeated! I need to check on your condition. Can you deactivate this barrier!?”
As Gerard spoke these words telepathically, the firebirds swarming around the swirling flames parted, and the crimson jewel that had been afloat gradually descended to the ground. The flames surrounding Efil gradually disappeared from bottom to top, and from within them, Kuro, deploying a thin membrane, appeared.
“Thank you for your guard duty. So, did the Princess’s medicine work?”
Kuro trembled, shaking his plump body. This trembling indicated that the situation was not favorable. The medicine had worked, but the symptoms were not suppressed as much as expected, and the illness was progressing rapidly. Better to see for himself than to ask, Kuro dissolved the thinly spread membrane. He then transformed into a makeshift bed, supporting Efil.
“Haa, haa…”
“…It might be bad,”
Efil, lying on Kuro, breathed heavily. Her snow-white skin was flushed red all over, and it was evident that she had a high fever.
“Gerard-san… I…”
“Don’t talk too much. It will affect your body.”
Perhaps due to her exhaustion from the high fever, Efil’s consciousness was somewhat hazy. However, she still held her bow, perhaps out of pride as a maid. Yet, Efil was still afflicted by Zildra’s illness. Even if Kuro used his healing and treatment items to sustain her, it was necessary to definitively cure the disease somewhere.
(Is it really necessary to cure it with the highest-grade White Magic? Among our party, only my King and the Princess can use it… Hmm, come to think of it, I can’t reach either of them by telepathy right now. …Hmm? Isn’t that dangerous? Aren’t we in a bit of a pinch?)
Currently, Kelvin and Melfina were unreachable, and telepathic communication was also impossible. Trying to find Kelvin and the others, whose whereabouts were unknown and who might even be in battle, was not very realistic. The only other person available was Shuzra, who had learned Blue Magic from Melfina. However, Blue Magic was not as specialized for healing as White Magic, so it was questionable whether it could counteract this illness that Melfina’s medicine couldn’t cure.
(Uooo! Think, think, old man! Now is the time to fully utilize these gray cells! Uooooh!)
Gerard was panicking. The image of him in battle was long gone, and he was quite confused. As if unable to bear watching Gerard’s state, Kuro gently tapped Gerard’s shoulder as he wrung his hands. Then, he began to draw characters in the air with his own body.
“Wh-what is this? Colette, who is accompanying Rion, can also use White Magic…? She can!?”
Kuro continued to write, his strokes fluid and his calligraphy superb.
“The battle with the Guardian is over, and it’s not too late. The Pope of Delamis is also here for some reason, so there’s a high possibility of treatment. With Colette’s power, she can manipulate a part of this sanctuary to connect the paths. I’m currently contacting Rion and the others through my doppelganger— Kuro, Kurooo! Are you a genius!?”
Kuro, who stopped Gerard from rushing to hug him with multiple hands, retrieved an ice pillow and a cold towel from the storage and placed them around Efil’s neck and armpits. These were originally part of a nursing kit that Efil had prepared in case of emergencies while traveling. She probably never imagined she would be the one being nursed, but her preparations were not in vain.
Then, while maintaining his bed form, Kuro began to move, taking extreme care to minimize any shaking for Efil. He skillfully moved only the parts that touched the ground, achieving astonishing speed. It seemed he already knew the way.
“Phew… If it were just me, I would have been completely useless. I’m grateful to my companions. Well then—”
Before chasing after Kuro, Gerard turned back to Zildra’s corpse, or rather, Jin’s remains. Dan, his comrade, seemed to have been quite concerned about Jin, who had gone missing. Therefore, even if he was now a corpse, Gerard wanted to bring him back for his soul to rest in peace. However, his body had been invaded by the disease, which was amplified by Gerard’s power, making it a highly toxic vessel. Bringing it back carelessly could risk repeating the tragedy of Alcare.
“I don’t want Shuzra to go through that kind of ordeal…”
Instead, was there anything that could serve as a memento? As he looked around, he spotted Zildra’s gunblade lying some distance away. Although the gunblade was not Jin’s own possession, it was better than nothing. With that thought, Gerard picked up the gunblade. Once Efil’s treatment was complete, if he had Colette bless this gunblade, there would be no problem even if a fragment of the disease was attached.
“Zildra is dead, and victories are continuing at a rapid pace in various places. However, Tristan is still alive despite his retreat, and on the other hand, Efil will not be able to fight for a while. We still cannot let our guard down…”
Gerard channeled the magic of his Demonic Sword into his body and set off in pursuit of Kuro.
***
“Yes, yes… I understand! I’ll be waiting!”
Rion, who had defeated Serge Floa, the strongest apostle, received another telepathic message from Gerard. It informed him that they were heading there to cure Efil’s illness and requested that a direct passage be created to this realm. It also asked for an appropriate barrier to be erected to prevent the spread of the disease.
“Grandpa Gerard and Kuro are bringing Older Sister Efil, and she’ll be here soon… Colette, are you okay?”
“Preparing the area, *guk*… smoothly, smoothly, *gulp*… but as quickly as possible. Using the highest-grade Shrine for abnormal condition prevention, *pwha*… N-no problem, *kep*!”
Most, if not all, of the tasks Gerard had requested could only be accomplished by Colette, who handled the Shrine’s secret arts. She was currently pouring her soul into the mission she had been given, diligently gulping down MP restoration potions.
“Well, I can’t use secret arts, so Colette is the only one who can do this. As a father, I feel truly pained. Heh heh heh.”
The Pope, Philip Delamilus, while using a special magic to transfer his mana, was rubbing Colette’s back. His words seemed concerned, but his expression was somewhat joyful. It was the look of a father who was happily interacting with his beloved daughter after a long time. In short, he was delighted.
“Um, can you cure Older Sister Efil’s illness?”
“Don’t worry, Setsuna. We might not be of much help in battle, but we are the world’s foremost healers. Even if it’s a disease mixed with curses, or a curse intertwined with a thousand years of resentment and jealousy, we will completely cure it. We stake our lives on it, as Pope and Shrine Maiden.”
“Um… Colette-san, you look like you’re about to throw up again…”
“That’s no problem at all. The Shrine Maidens of Delamis have the spirit of steel!”
How was he as a father? And, now that he thought about it, was it appropriate to confess to another woman besides his wife in front of his daughter?
“Ahaha… Um, we can’t be of help if we just stay here, shall we split up and advance to that temple? I think Older Kel and Older Mel might be there.”
“Mhm, I think Mother is there too.”
“Then, we shall protect the Shrine Maiden. That is the duty of a true gentleman.”
“…I’m good at protecting people.”
As a result of their discussion, Rion, Setsuna, Silvia, and Emma advanced into the temple that Serge had been guarding, while the rest of the members waited at this location to welcome Efil and the others.
