I don't know what happened, but the fire engulfing the sword was clearly not caused by my magic. It seemed everyone was too busy to notice, and no unnecessary questions were asked. Only Seleria cast a couple of significant glances my way.
I made a few precise cuts on the monster's chest, and Ragni collected a few vials of its blood.
"For the antidote, we only need two vials, but the blood itself can be worth a lot," Ragni mused like an alchemist.
"It's too dangerous to sell it. Someone could use it to create poisons!" Katrina objected, and indeed, it was too risky.
"We don't have to sell it, but we can use it to make antidotes for all kinds of swamp creature poisons. The hydra's venom can cure the bite of any monster," I suggested.
"Alright, but then no one else should know about it," she replied.
"We should burn the body after we're done," I noticed that the body was already emitting signs of decay, killing all vegetation around it. "But we can take the head as a trophy."
"It's a pity for this place, but considering its purpose, I'm not against destroying it," Katrina surveyed her guild. Thank goodness, no one died in this battle. Ragni and Algo were seriously wounded, but after taking the antidote, they felt much better. "We're all exhausted; I think it's time to return."
Katrina turned to leave, but a familiar voice stopped her from behind.
"Wait, Your Majesty," Leira stood unsteadily on her feet, but she was not willing to give up. "We're not finished yet."
Katrina was in much better condition now. Though she used a powerful spell, her fight was relatively brief, and she quickly regained her strength. On the contrary, Leira had to continuously cast spells throughout the entire battle. Did she still want to fight?
"You've weakened too much. We can settle our disagreements later," Katrina said.
"OUR DISAGREEMENTS!! They won't be settled later!" She shouted, draining even more of her strength. "If we return to the city, we won't be able to blame the death of one of us on the swamp hydra! Fight me now, you gave your word!!"
No one understood what drove this girl to hate the princess of her own country so intensely.
"Ragni, fly back to the city with the antidote; we need to bring it to Maria as soon as possible. Guys, wait for us at the camp, and you can prepare a small stretcher for the trophy. We'll finish soon."
I tried to escort everyone who shouldn't know about what had happened. Only four people remained at the sacred lake: me, Algo, Katrina, and Leira. Those who knew about the princess's past and were directly involved in this battle.
"Lady, I understand your feelings, but right now, there's nothing you can do..."
"SHUT UP! I've been waiting for this opportunity for eight years."
Gathering a small charge in her hand, Leira hurled it at Katrina. The Grand Magus easily blocked it with one hand. Gathering lightning essence in her legs, the noblewoman accelerated and began running circles around the princess, periodically showering her with lightning discharges. But for Katrina, they were mere mosquito bites.
"Lady, what are you doing? Such attacks won't affect her," Algo could only mutter to himself. Regrets wouldn't fix the situation.
"Most likely, in her current state, she's not capable of anything greater," I suggested.
"You don't know her capabilities; she's very strong. If she tries, she can easily defeat the princess," the swordsman insisted.
"I agree; she could defeat her, but not like this," I shrugged, further infuriating Leira. "Fighting electricity against our Lightning Mistress is quite foolish."
"What do you even know?!"
"I know everything necessary," a suspicion about Leira's reckless behavior surfaced in my mind. "Hey, noble girl, do you know that you could have killed Katrina with just one gusting blade?"
"I DON'T CARE!! I'll kill her just as she killed my sister!" She continued striking with lightning, but they scattered against Katrina like against a stone wall. "She was a powerful lightning mage, not like me, but she couldn't have died from a random lightning strike. Tell me, princess, what did she do to deserve such a death!?"
The next strike was much stronger than the previous ones; it seemed anger was giving her strength, but if she continued like this, she would exhaust her mana and perish. Katrina fell to one knee from the force of the blow and calmly said:
"I'll tell you what happened back then, and you'll decide my fate yourself." She had never responded to the attacks before. "I lived with Magda and my mentor; I didn't see anyone else in the castle. They never let me beyond its walls, and I only heard about the outside world from my dear friend, your sister."
Those last words provoked a furious snarl from the noblewoman.
"I always wanted to see what was happening beyond the castle walls," Katrina raised her head to the sky, reminiscing about the past. "On my eighth birthday, I decided to give myself a little present. The western fortress wall was covered in dense ivy, and I managed to escape from the castle through it at night. I wandered around the nearby village all night, peeking into people's homes, trying to avoid encounters with passersby. Of course, I understood the danger I posed to others. I wanted to return to the castle before dawn, but I noticed a group of children playing with a ball on the edge of the clearing. I was afraid to approach them, but I couldn't move away either. The desire to approach them was too strong. When I realized that I had stood there for too long, it was already dawn. I was late and ran back to the fortress wall with all my might. By the time I got there, chaos had broken out. Magda and my mentor discovered my disappearance, and they were running around the castle trying to find me, but I didn't know that. Magda spotted me as I descended the wall via the ivy, just as I did the first time. She called out to me, and it was a mistake. I slipped and fell down; it was nearly seven meters to the ground, and I should have died. From the fear of impending death, my power went out of control again. A deadly electrical field spread in all directions, but I didn't die."
Katrina fell silent for a couple of seconds.
"When I woke up, I was still alive. Magda caught me, but she couldn't withstand my electrical field. She died in my arms, asking only that her little princess wouldn't cry. After that, my father locked me in my room, and until I came to the Academy, I didn't interact with anyone—punishment for my crimes."
Leira trembled; it seemed she was on the verge of tears.
"You... You're lying!!" she shouted, releasing a tremendous amount of power around her. Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and lightning struck the ground around her. It became dangerous.
"Sister, only she used to call me that. I'll never forgive you. Die!!"
A powerful lightning bolt descended from the sky and struck Katrina. Such a discharge would kill anyone, but not someone who commanded lightning from birth. The princess staggered from the impact but remained conscious.
"This is bad. If this continues, Leira will die!" I noticed that she was releasing much more magic in her fury, and she was nearing exhaustion.
Katrina surged forward; the closer she got to Leira, the more lightning bolts hit her. But Katrina wasn't concerned; she only wanted to save this foolish girl.
Reaching her target, Katrina embraced the deranged sorceress.
"Don't do this. Your sister wouldn't want your death."
"Only this way can I seek revenge. If I turn all my life force into lightning, I'll destroy you along with myself!"
"She wanted me to protect you. And if you truly desire my death, then I agree. Do it whenever you wish, and I won't resist. But right now, I don't want you to die."
"All these years, I lived in vain. I'll never be able to seek revenge," Leira wept, and the sound of raging lightning slowly faded against the backdrop of quiet feminine crying.
"Katrina!!" Together with the storm clouds, the sorceress herself began to dissipate.
"It was all indeed in vain," despair on Leira's face transformed into a smile.
Her body gradually became translucent. I had never seen someone die from mana depletion before, nor knew if it could be stopped.
"No, I won't allow this!" Again, storm clouds gathered above the girls, but this time, they were created by Katrina.
Much stronger lightning bolts descended from the sky, striking the girls at the center. The bolts hit them, creating electric charges that sparkled between them.
"What is she doing to the lady?"
"Darned, you fool! I don't know what it is, but it looks like a magic transfer. I don't know if it'll help, but if it works, we might save Leira."
The storm intensified, and my protective shield was no longer shielding us from the lightning. I grabbed Algo and rushed away from the battle site.
"Let me go - I'll stay with Lady Leira till the end."
"If you struggle, you'll die before her."
Shortly after we ran, a bright flash illuminated the lake.