Cedric admitted defeat and promised to help the orphanage.
The battle ended for the time being and a reconciliation was made, but the damage taken was too great and I couldn’t even stand up. I could only manage to sit. Pauline immediately rushed to provide treatment.
“Oh, you’re badly hurt. You have such a bad burn on your hand, and bruises too. And it’s your dominant hand, at that!”
“Hahaha, there’s nothing I could do about it.”
Pauline diligently disinfected my wounds while scolding me. Then Cedric arrived and took my hand.
“That’s a terrible burn. We need to cool it down immediately. Riana, can you give me some ice?”
“Yes, here you go.”
Riana made a small block of ice and handed it to him. It was quite convenient.
“If you put it in water like this and cool it, the wound will heal faster.”
I submerged my hand into the basin filled with ice water. The coldness didn’t seep in; instead, the pain gradually receded. Was Cedric using recovery magic?
“Hey, shouldn’t you be healing my companions instead of me?”
“Ah, they’re fine. My companions didn’t take that much damage. They were just temporarily incapacitated. You guys are the ones in danger; there are no hospitals around here.”
Indeed, what he said was true. They were just knocked out or tripped and temporarily incapacitated. Besides, Cedric’s recovery magic had already healed them.
“In that case, can you treat Veronica? Oh, right. Your attributes are opposite, so it won’t work.”
“That’s right. It’s a shame. I suppose you could say we can’t win against you. Is this how you always fight?”
“W-well, yes.”
I was embarrassed, but that was the truth. We fight by running around on the ground in a desperate battle. It’s certainly not a cool way to fight. Cedric continued talking while holding my hand.
“When I first learned of the existence of humans, I was honestly surprised. I wondered if they really existed, and what they looked like. I was so excited.”
“It’s nothing special.”
“Hahaha, that’s true. I thought, ‘Is this it?’ They’re not so different from us, are they? As expected of Origin.”
Come to think of it, why are there no humans in this world? Even if the continent is divided, they could come by ship, and there must be many people interested in unexplored lands.
“Origin, you mean humans are the originals? Then why aren’t there any?”
“We are the prototypes of humans. But yes, there are people who don’t even know of their existence. I used to think they were a race from fairy tales. I heard they attacked Spring Harbor once before. They were driven back in terrible condition before they could land.”
It seems there were indeed those who tried to invade. But the voyage must have been too harsh, and the ship couldn’t endure it. The crew must have suffered greatly.
“Unfortunately, I don’t know either. I haven’t been told the details. I only heard a brief mention of Another World. That’s right.”
Cedric pulled my hand out of the ice water.
“We’ll make camp here too. Dawn is approaching soon. Lucy can’t be active during the day, so this is perfect.”
He happily relayed this to his companions. They started preparing for the camp without any objections. Was it okay? After all, we were enemies. Even though we’ve reconciled, wouldn’t it be awkward?
By the time the bonfire was lit and the water began to boil, the girls were already chatting amicably. They were engaged in lively conversation, talking about what was amazing and what hurt. Amidst them, I spotted Lucy hesitating and standing apart from the group.
“Is something wrong? If you’d like, how about joining us for breakfast? Before we sleep.”
“Eh, ah, no, that’s not it. I mean… I might have gone too far. And I even called you an old lady or something.”
Could she be regretting the fight with Veronica? Now that I think about it, she did sustain a serious injury. Although Pauline had treated her, red was still seeping through the white bandages. Lucy was crumpling up the band-aids she had. Was she planning to give them to Veronica? And they were cute, patterned ones.
“Hey, why are you laughing!”
“I’m not laughing! It’s okay, Veronica doesn’t hold it against you. Go talk to her.”
Lucy looked back at me resentfully and headed towards Veronica. I was tired too, so I decided to take a break before dawn. I poured some tea into a cup and sat down on a nearby log. The surface was scorched from Cedric’s magic.
Cedric sat down next to me.
