「You have leveled up」
Along with the ding of the 「system」, the sound of glass shattering filled the air.
This was not heard by anybody but me, of course.
Fatigue caught up to me.
In a second, I was kneeling on the ground, my breath ragged and uneven.
I desperately breathed in and out, trying to push as much oxygen as I could in my body.
My right forearm burned, and it took me a moment or two to realize that it was bleeding.
I check my pockets, looking for another healing potion.
Nothing
I had to drag my tired self just so that I could sit down with at least something to cover me.
I take a long, tired breath.
God, that was exhausting…
I cover the bleeding wound with my other hand, trying and failing to keep a grip on it.
My limbs felt like jelly, barely able to keep itself stable.
My consciousness blinked on and off, in the same condition.
With that, I lost consciousne—
*splash*
W-what the…?! I'm awake! I'm awake! I was most definitely NOT about to fall asleep!
My eyelids snapped open, cold water splashing on my head suddenly.
…Huh?
"Hey, sleepyhead."
…
Please don't say that
"H-hey don't look at me like that. Even I have feelings…"
She immediately folded under my gaze.
The witch inspected my body, checking my wounds.
She let out a low hum.
"Hmmm… you look much worse than I expected. I expected a dislocated shoulder or two, but I didn't think you would go and risk your life like that. The Earth Wyrms may have better 「Conjuring」 than you do, but that doesn't mean you should just go and risk your life like it was the first and only option available to you. Though I commend you for being patient and gathering information first instead of charging in recklessly on that last Earth Wyrm, you still get a failing grade on overall performance. The Earth Wyrms were adept users of 「Conjuration」, but since they rely more on their physical attributes than their magic ones, their mana pool isn't very high. If you had just waited and bided your time, you would have gotten a MUCH better opening, instead of your all-or-nothing gamble."
Then tell me that first, you witch!
I glare at the witch with clear animosity.
She did not fold.
After a few seconds, the witch nodded to herself, apparently satisfied.
She rummaged around in her sleeve, producing a red vial, one similar yet more vibrant than the ones she had given me.
Then, she poured the red liquid on my arm.
The liquid fizzled on my skin, mending my flesh and muscles.
Then, she produced some cloth and wrapped my arm with it.
"There, that should be fine."
She nodded to herself, satisfied.
I cast a lazy glance to my treated arm.
… That's not actually ba—
"ALSO!"
The witch restarted her spiel.
"Why did you use the healing potions I gave you so readily?! Do you even know how long it took to make those?"
Yeah, I do. I was there
The witch ignored my ridiculing stare and stood up.
She picked up my arm — the not broken one — and slung it over her shoulders.
"We're going home."
…What?
I yank my hand out of her grasp, trying to free myself.
Unfortunately, with both my stamina and mana exhausted, I was left powerless before her.
"Don't struggle, you'll just make your wounds worse. You may look fine on the surface, barely, but you have various internal damage. Your leg, for instance…"
She tapped my leg with her own, just for a brief second.
Ooooooowwww~!
The witch lorded her superiority over me.
"See? You're in no condition to be fighting right now."
She spoke in a semi-motherly tone, half-mean and half-sincere.
I look in the direction of the Earth Wyrm nest.
"…"
The witch immediately picked up on my reaction, opting to console me.
"Look, I know I said that we're going to kill of them. Though most of that will be done by you, I did originally plan to help out somewhere around the end. Swoop in and be like 'Geez, you really can't be left without me~' and whatnot. Now, I'm not so sure about that. You messed up, big time. And this is your punishment… what was I talking about again? Oh, right! We'll be back once you recover."
Damn, she's bad at this
With the distant echoes of the Earth Wyrms behind us, the witch and I began our walk back home.
◇◆◇◆◇
The morning after my discussion with Mary.
I sat in the elegant dining hall of the royal castle.
This was one of the exceedingly rare times when we actually got to eat all together.
The larger-than-normal room was filled with every decorum one could imagine when fantasizing about a castle.
The walls were filled with so many flashy decorations that the place may as well have been painted with glitters.
My brother — the first prince — spoke with clear elegance.
"I heard Morgen has gotten into trouble again."
He grinned despite himself.
While normally gracious and kind, my brother was a bit of a prankster when it came to matters involving myself.
I slice the steak on my plate and bring it to my mouth, ignoring his smug questioning.
"Morgen, your brother asked you a question."
My mother, the queen, scolded me.
Favoring brother like always, I see…
I swallow.
"It is nothing, mother. Just a snag on my recent meeting."
She raised a brow.
"…Oh? Do tell."
I tighten my grip on the fork, irritated.
"I do not believe it is worth mentioning in front of his excellency."
I give a pleading glance to the man who sat at the very end of the table.
The man continued eating, his manners and etiquette are what can only be called as perfection.
He did not respond.
Luckily, I did not need his help.
"Really? Well, if that's the case, then I guess I'll just have to let it go."
My mother said as she turned back to her food, slightly disappointed.
"Wha—"
My brother, Nacht, gasped.
His face began to redden as he held himself back from causing an outrage.
I kept a blank face the entire time.
"Ah…of course."
He broke out into a grin, casting me mischievous look.
No, is he…
"I heard you talked with that snake Lockhart the other day, Morgen. Why don't you tell us about that, huh…"
*clang*
My mother dropped her fork, her face stuck between surprise and astonishment.
She looked at me with visible dread.
Oh no
"Morgen, did you…"
Her voice trailed off, her hand covering her agape mouth.
Nacht's grin grew even wider.
That bastard!
「Skill 'Intuition' is warning you」
It was then, and only then, did the man on the other side of the table stop eating.
The king looked at me with fury in his eyes.
"Yes, Morgen. Do tell."