Even before the mana backflow, his face was already as white as a sheet—yet it had turned blue now.
His eyes couldn't focus anywhere, just staring blankly into the air.
"Cassion!"
Rosetta called him again.
For a moment, it felt as if their eyes met.
Soon, his convulsing body gradually regained stability.
His plate, which had been quivering from such overflowing mana, began to center itself.
At the same time, the mana that was freely circulating through his pathways now found stability as well. The profusely trickling blood at his waist suddenly stopped.
And that was not all.
New flesh began to cover the spot where the blood stopped.
Quite literally, it was a miracle.
"…Cassion."
Blankly reciting his voice, Rosetta implored those out of focus eyes to look back at her.
Between his trembling eyelashes were two black eyes.
Two black eyes that looked silently at her.
It wasn't long before he opened his lips to speak.
"Rosetta."
When the voice she thought she'd never hear again called her name, Rosetta's heart strangely felt so overwhelmed.
"Yes."
Rosetta held Cassion's hand and, again, buried her face in it.
Before, it was as if she was holding a block of ice. But now, there was a hint of warmth in that hand.
"Cassion, are you okay?"
Hearing the evident concern in her voice as her face was still buried in his hand, Cassion smiled.
For someone who was at the threshold of death just now…
He was very calm.
"Yes, I'm fine."
Even his voice was calm.
Finding this rather strange, Rosetta raised her face from Cassion's hand.
Then, with a baffled expression, she checked his pulse.
She was worried what kind of aftershock there would be to someone who'd been throwing up blood until just a second ago, but suddenly got better all at once.
She was thinking that he might just be pretending to be calm.
However, it wasn't an act.
There wasn't even a single problem.
His pulse, which had been in dire straits earlier, was back to its original cadence.
No, it was beating even healthier than before.
'Is it all because of his mana?'
She still felt a bit wired, but once the crisis was averted, she felt herself loosen up.
Sighing heavily, Rosetta finally leaned against her chair, head thrown back as she looked up.
And the brilliant ceiling of the barracks filled her vision.
"…What a relief. I didn't lose you. What a relief."
At the heart-rending murmur, it was Cassion's turn to hold her hand this time.
"Don't worry. I won't die until you tell me to."
Hearing those really embarrassing words, a weak smile tugged up on her lips.
But she did not laugh.
Because she knew that he wasn't joking.
There was a moment of silence.
A very peaceful moment of silence, which came only after such a long time.
However, with the state of the current situation, this moment of tranquility did not last.
GRAAAH—!
Until now, a wholly incomparable noise shook the entire barracks.
Rosetta and Cassion stood up at the same time, and their eyes met.
'The lizard.'
The monsters made them forget about it for a while, but the demonic beast was finally here.
They both hurried outside.
As expected, an enormous lizard came into their sight.
However, the one thing that they didn't expect was this: the lizard had turned into a monster.
It wasn't an ordinary demonic beast now, but a demonic beast that had turned into a blue monster.
"…How?"
The feeble question left Rosetta's lips.
The lizard was a beast that had been raised by Leo.
But now… How in the world did it turn into a blue monster?
Did Urien find out about the lizard first?
And then he turned the lizard into a blue monster in advance?
Or…
In the midst of all the complex thoughts that went through her mind…
She saw someone's face in the distance.
A man who was drenched completely by the rain, but this only made his red hair stand out even more vividly.
Leo Carter.
He was standing with his back to her right then, but as if he had noticed her gaze, he slowly turned around.
And, through the drizzling rain, their eyes met.
That man's face was just as calm.
Even though the demon that he'd been hiding until now had turned into a 'blue monster', there was no sign of surprise in his features at all.
Only a smile, completely nonchalant and without a care to the world.
His red irises flashed fiercely.
However, he soon turned his back on her again as he walked towards the lizard.
Atop that man's relaxed back, someone else's silhouette overlapped.
'…Don't tell me, Leo is…?'
With furrowed brows, doubt settled upon her.
She took a step forward, intending to follow Leo right away just to confirm.
However, she could not pursue this intention.
"Rosetta, Alicia comes first right now."
Because Cassion pulled her back to her senses.
Alicia.
The name fell heavily in her mind, and the very mention of it made Rosetta stop in her tracks. She shook her head.
"Ah, yes. Of course."
So swept away by the past, she nearly lost her grip on the present.
The most important thing was to defeat that huge, horrible blue monster and save Alicia, who had been left shivering somewhere.
She rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a note.
It was a note that she found earlier at the barracks, saying that Diana had gone to follow Alicia.
The note mentioned that Alicia went to an out of the way forest path some distance away from the barracks.
So, Diana went there as well.
Recalling the map of the northern forest, Rosetta could roughly guess where that path was.
However.
Her worried, golden eyes headed towards the lizard.
Aside from the correlation it presented between Urien and Leo,
'How should that lizard be dealt with?'
If the lizard were to run erratically, the casualties would rise yet again.
She would have left in a heartbeat if it was just a normal beast.
However, now that it was a blue monster, it had become a problem too big for her to ignore.
But at the same time, if she were to deal with that lizard, she would once again lose precious time.
It's almost laughable how much she's being plagued by this same worry.
It hadn't been long since she regretted helping other people because of her useless guilt.
However, in the days that she lived as 'Rita'…
The terrible memories she had of all those people dying right before her eyes weighed heavily on her shoulders.
Rosetta could not say anything for a moment.
Next to her, Cassion stared at her quietly, then he took a step forward.
His movement prompted Rosetta to grab his arm.
"What are you doing?"
At her question, which was laced with concern and anxiety, Cassion shrugged.
It was something that Rosetta herself did often.
"I'll fight the lizard."
"Why are you…"
"That's the plan anyway."
"That was the plan when it was just a regular beast. Not a monster like that."
"Beasts are inherently monsters, too."
"Be serious."
"Right, right. I'll stop it with the lame jokes."
After the ensuing conversation, Rosetta tightened her hold on Cassion's arm.
"Don't… You can't do anything dangerous."
Cassion.
When her voice dropped to a whisper as she said his name, Cassion paused.
It was the first time she called his name with so many people passing by around them.
That was enough for him to know just how desperate she was feeling right now.
However, even more so, Cassion could not back down.
He looked at Rosetta's hand as she was still holding his arm, then he raised his other hand to hold her wrist.
"…If the lizard runs wild and many people get hurt, it'll be harder on you."
Rosetta couldn't deny what he said. She bit her lower lip.
"I don't think I can stand seeing you that way. I won't let that happen."
"…But just now, you almost died. You're still a patient who miraculously died and came back to life."
"Yes, and it was you who saved me yet again. And you know exactly what the effects are, Rosetta."
Rosetta didn't reply.
However, this was enough of an answer.
Cassion smiled, then continued speaking.
"It's because of this that I'm feeling even stronger than before. I feel much better than usual. In my current condition, forget just one lizard—it feels like I can take on a whole legion of crocodiles."
So don't worry and go.
Ever so gently, Cassion held Rosetta's wrist and tugged it slightly.
And she eventually let go.
Her slender fingers hovered for a moment, but soon grabbed the air instead, then moved back.
This was Rosetta's way of saying that he could go.
That he could go and do just as he said.
Frankly speaking, he was right.
Even now, Cassion was surrounded by mana that was so thick and blue that it hurt just touching his skin.
With the state that he was in now, he wouldn't have a problem dealing with that monster.
Leo was headed towards the lizard as well. It's enough to let him deal with it, just as he did in the original novel.
However, if left alone, there inevitably would be many casualties.
All he's intending to do here was to spin a heroic tale for himself. There's nothing more impactful than a hero who would appear amidst countless deaths, only to save the souls of those who still remained alive.
And…
'What if he's Urien?'
The outcome would also be similar.
A monster that he created with his own hands would not retaliate against its master.
Yes. In many ways, Cassion's decision was the right one.
However, Rosetta kept remembering the sight of him convulsing… dying…
"Don't die. Don't get hurt."
The quiet voice uttered a request, an order, and a plea all at the same time.
In response, Cassion nodded.
"You as well, Rosetta."
Two gazes, brimming with emotion, locked with each other.
Not a word was said, but a conversation was exchanged with their eyes.
It was Rosetta who turned away first.
Since a decision had already been made, she should do her part quickly.
Her utmost priority was to find Diana and Alicia, and keep them safe.
She deliberately set aside any thoughts of what would come next.
The roars of the lizard continued to echo behind her, but she did not look back.
She didn't know how long she ran like that, but she soon met Diana and saved her from immediate danger.
Now, it was time for her to find Alicia.