"Uly, are you sure you're okay?"
That's my Dragonoid Contractor's worried voice. Yehanna has been cradling me in her arms, not caring about her wounds. I mean, there's a shard of glass sticking on her left arm, her cheeks are starting to form some bruise due to her fight against the god-like silver-haired princess, and her blue kimono is in tatters.
But she still chose to check on my condition.
I coughed three times before replying. "I told you, I'm okay." Then I coughed two times more.
Yehanna touched my forehead, and I felt her soft ice-cold fingers. "Liar. You're having a fever."
She looked upwards; towards the skyscraping building that collapsed a few blocks away from us. If I'm not mistaken, she's checking where Marina is fighting that Pulsar Dragon. It's already silent on the battlefield.
The dark-blue-haired Dragonoid shook her head, and then looked back at me. "I'm sorry for Marina, but your health will come first. I will need to call Princess Amaryllis' attention. I'm no longer Deva, so I'm sure I can blend in."
I just replied with a cough. My breathing is getting fast, and I feel an itch at the bottom of my lungs.
Yehanna unholstered her magic pistol and fired it in the air. A blue flare was launched in the night skies that strobed blinding light.
"You'll be safe now, Uly." Yehanna smiled worriedly. Her eyes started to produce tears.
"Hanna."
Upon muttering her name, my vision went blurry. It was pixelated, but I saw Princess Amaryllis rush towards our position.
"Lord Corasell!" The silver-haired princess cried. "Lord Corasell, are you okay!?"
"Your highness! Please, help Uly! He used up all his mana to protect me from the nuclear explosion!" Yehanna said. She's a great actress.
I felt the cold touch of the princess on my forehead. I also heard her prayer.
"With the power of light, heal my friend!"
I don't feel any better. I feel like passing out at any point in time. My mind is blank. I can't move any part of my body, not even my eyeballs. My whole body is numb.
"We need to get him to the hospital! My light magic is not enough to cure him!" Princess Amaryllis cried. "I'll call out my dragon!"
"Your highness, what about Deva?" Yehanna asked.
"Deva is dead. She self-destructed by doing that nuclear explosion." The princess answered.
If I could laugh in my sleep, I would. I can't believe we fooled the princess. Tres Bien, our mission here is complete. Yehanna and I will be getting out of this battleground safe and sound. Marina is a good pawn, but sadly we can't save her. We can only save ourselves at this point, and she's the necessary sacrifice.
I can now rest.
It was a good long sleep.
When I opened my eyes, I saw the white ceiling, the white LED light, and the white curtains. I moved my hand and looked at my fingers. I have regained my strength to move, but some of my body parts feel numb.
My knees to my feet have this painful stinging sensation like it's being acupunctured. Just a slight movement would make my calf muscles ache. It's like my whole legs are suffering from cramps.
"Uly?"
I looked at my left side and saw Yehanna watching me. She looks so well as if she never fought five dragons, one Dragon Sage, and a princess with a mythical Pulsar Dragon. The only evidence of her being injured are the bandages on her forehead and her neck.
"Is it morning already? Good morning!" I carefreely said.
"Stupid!" Yehanna immediately hugged me. "It's already afternoon, dummy! You slept for twelve hours!"
I felt a tender cushion on my chest that is softer than any pillow. I love being hugged by her. I would like to close my eyes and sleep again with the beautiful woman's embrace, but somebody caught my attention.
Beside Yehanna was the teenage silver-haired princess who's the one to blame for all our injuries.
"Lord Corasell! I'm glad that you're okay!" Princess Amaryllis clasped her hands jollily.
"Your grace." I slightly nodded. "What happened?"
"You suffered from mana deficiency, and some injuries on your feet. Thankfully, you only needed one mana-filled oxygen tank to replenish your energy and some medicine on your legs. You didn't suffer any major injuries." Princess Amaryllis said.
"No, I mean…" I scratched my head. "What happened on the battlefield?"
"O-Oh, that?" Princess Amaryllis held her elbow and bowed. "Dragon Sage Claire Magnus is dead, together with her five dragons. Deva killed them all. I was about to capture Deva but then she self-destructed. The Jogudra Mafia retreated right after that, but we managed to capture one of Deva's co-conspirators."
"Co-conspirator?"
"Yes." The princess elegantly nodded. "Marina Koenj-Jogudra. I believe that rings a bell."
I kept my silence. Everything I say might go against me.
"Ross said that she's your classmate back in the Magic Academy during your freshmen years. Then, she married early and inherited her dead husband's mafia as the newest leader." The princess added.
"Yeah, Ross and I know her well," I said with a smile. "Marina is our valedictorian, and Ross is the salutatorian. They don't talk to each other since they are rivals back then."
The princess elegantly chuckled by covering her mouth. "Oh, Ross didn't tell me that. I never knew that he's so competitive academically."
"Well, that's Ross for you. He wants to keep some secrets on his own and never brag about it." I laughed a little, then changed the subject. "Anyway, where is Marina?"
"She's being held at the Novum Metropolis Detention Center for interrogation. The police will be trying to extract information about the terrorism that happened last night."
A chill went down my spine.
Marina might still not fully know the identity of Deva, but she knows that I'm working with Deva. If Marina sells me out, then I'll be treated like a terrorist for all the mess we've made on the battlefield last night! I'll be stripped of honor and power as a Dragon Sage! Forget it, I'll become a wanted man!
There's even a worse scenario. Some police interrogators use mind-reading magic to extract information. Even if Marina stays loyal to me, there's no way she could hide her memories from the police!
There is only one way to keep my secret safe.
And I'm going to do it.
I forced myself to stand up. Too much of Yehanna's and the princess' surprise, they tried to gently push me back on my bed.
"Uly!" Yehanna cried.
"Lord Corasell, your legs are still not fully healed! Just rest until tomorrow!" Princess Amaryllis said.
"I can't pay the hospital bills! I'm broke!" I immediately reasoned out. "I need to get out!"
"This hospital treatment is free! I already commanded the head doctor that you will be free from any medical expenses!" The silver-haired princess said. Then she looked at Yehanna, and then back to me. "Wait, you're not concerned about the expenses, aren't you?"
"Huh?"
"You're worried about Marina."