BVWG 44

chapter 44

When Mor and Beret stood side by side before me, their blue and red cloaks made a striking contrast.

In addition, their tall, lean figures and handsome appearances drew more than a few wandering eyes.

No one could blame the servants for sneaking glances at them. It was common to see the young maids sigh dreamily or blush whenever they passed by.

The delicate yet elegant man who shook the hearts of every woman in the Esperanza Ducal mansion — Mor — reached out and grabbed Beret’s ear with one hand.

Blood dripped steadily from Beret’s ear.

“This fool just got his ear pierced,” Mor explained, “so the wound is small, but there’s a chance it could get infected. It’s the perfect opportunity for the young lady to practice her first healing spell.”

Then Mor turned to look at Curey.

“Curey, you’ve heard about healing magic before, haven’t you?”

Curey nodded enthusiastically, his gray eyes shining.

“For now, just observe. You’ll get your chance when the next injured person shows up. Instead, try teaching the young lady yourself.”

Curey’s eyes widened for a moment before he turned to me with an awkward smile.

“I’m not really in a position to teach the young lady, but… I’ll do my best.”

He took a deep breath and began to explain.

“The incantation is ‘Sana-a.’ I’ve never cast it myself, but you have to chant it while sincerely wishing for the person to heal and picturing the process clearly in your mind.”

Mor raised an eyebrow. “If you know all that, why haven’t you tried it yourself?”

“Healing magic consumes a huge amount of mana. I don’t have enough, so it doesn’t work well for me. But I’m sure you’ll succeed, my lady.”

Even while admitting something that might have embarrassed him, Curey smiled harmlessly — a gentle, comforting smile that made me want to look after him.

“You’re one of the hardest-working mages I know, Curey. I’m sure you’ll be able to do it soon.”

Leaving Curey’s admiring gaze behind, I stepped closer to Beret. His shoulders stiffened slightly.

“Beret, excuse me for a moment.”

Mor’s eyes widened when he noticed I’d dropped the formal title from my speech — but he said nothing.

I gently held Beret’s ear — the one with the earring. He held his breath. Was it because it hurt?

“Beret, are you alright?”

“Yes. Please don’t mind me.”

The bleeding had already stopped.

Mor’s expression as he looked at the two of us was strange — amused, yet slightly displeased.

But I didn’t have the leisure to care; I was too focused on attempting the new spell.

“Sana-a.”

Holding Beret’s ear, I focused on the wound and softly recited the incantation. For a brief moment, a gray light gathered around the wound.

But it quickly faded, leaving the injury unchanged.

“Lady Asha,” Mor said calmly, “try again — but this time, imagine the bleeding stopping and the tissue knitting together as the wound closes.”

Following his instructions, I tried once more.

“Sana-a.”

Again, it failed. I only felt a little drained, perhaps from inefficient mana control.

“Lady Asha, that fatigue you feel comes from using your mana inefficiently,” Mor explained.

“Perhaps a short break would help,” Beret suggested.

His face had turned red — as bright as a ripe beet.

“Beret, was it painful?” I asked gently.

Instead of answering, Beret quickly excused himself. Mor turned to me with a mischievous grin.

“It seems your soft voice and kind manner of whispering were… a bit torturous for him.”

When did I ever whisper?

My baffled expression made Mor laugh aloud.

“I think reinforcements will arrive soon,” he said. “I’ll go fetch Beret. In the meantime, discuss the sensation of spellcasting with Curey.”

Obedient disciples that we were, Curey and I followed his instructions.

Curey asked in detail how the magic had felt, occasionally nodding as if realizing something. Then he gave me a few helpful tips.

It was clear Mor wanted to give both of us — Curey, who lacked mana, and me, who lacked casting experience — a chance at indirect learning.

He pretended to be aloof, but he cared deeply for both his disciples.

Before long, Beret appeared again, being dragged back by the scruff of his neck by Mor. His face was still flushed. Maybe it wasn’t just his ear that hurt.

“Lady Asha, let’s try again,” he said.

I recalled Curey’s advice and cast the spell once more.

“Sana-a.”

This time, the gray light settled neatly over Beret’s ear, and the wound closed perfectly.

This spell — it’s going to be very useful. My face lit up with joy at the success. I didn’t even feel tired this time.

“Congratulations, my lady!” Curey said, delighted as if he’d succeeded himself.

“I knew you’d get it right quickly,” Mor added warmly.

I smiled brightly — something rare for me — and Mor’s eyes softened, while Beret’s face turned even redder.

Just then, a group of mages arrived in front of the ducal mansion.

“Archmage, awaiting your orders,” said the unit’s commander.

Mor ordered the squad to teleport to the hill immediately.

“I think I can help too,” I said. “May I come along?”

Having just succeeded in my spell, I felt confident I wouldn’t be a burden. Besides, royal mages were all highly skilled; watching them work would be an invaluable learning experience.

“The more who can wield mana, the better,” Mor said with a gentle smile, granting permission for me and Curey to accompany them.

Of course, his real intention was for us to observe and learn.

“I’ll accompany the young lady as her escort,” Beret added.

Together, we reached the hill. Behind the ice wall Beret and I had created, magma had begun to pool.

Each time the molten river met the ice, it hissed — chiiiik — writhing like a living beast.

As expected, the ice was melting. Holes began to form across the wall, but because it was thick, it had lasted quite a while.

About twenty mages took positions around the hill and began chanting silently.

Beside Beret, Curey and I focused our mana as instructed by Mor, helping to reinforce the spell circle.

A massive magic array rose above the hill, and an icy winter wind swept through the air. The magma began to cool rapidly.

Something still boiled faintly at the summit, but even that began to settle.

“Can you really turn an active volcano into a dormant one like this?” I asked, unable to hold back my curiosity.

Mor frowned slightly. “This volcano isn’t natural. It might work… but there’s no precedent. I can’t be sure.”

We focused again on maintaining the magic circle. Soon, the biting cold from the massive cooling spell made it feel as though my flesh was freezing and cracking apart.

Maybe I shouldn’t have come after all.

Seeing me shiver, Beret removed his knight’s cloak and draped it over my shoulders.

“Thank you,” I murmured. Even that small warmth felt lifesaving.

I looked at Beret, guilt pricking my chest. His nose was red from the cold, but he seemed to endure it better than I did.

Finally, the magma and smoke atop the hill ceased to move.

The mages held their breath, waiting. The hardened magma clung to the charred remains of trees and rocks, black and solid.

“Is it over?” Curey asked, pale-faced. He looked exhausted — not just from the cold, but from having poured nearly all his limited mana into the magic circle.

“Curey, why don’t you sit down for a bit?” I suggested.

Without protest, he plopped down right where he stood — clearly at his limit.

“It seems the situation’s under control for now,” Mor said. “Lady Asha, Curey — we’ll send you back to the mansion through a teleport circle. We’ll finish up here.”

I nodded. Mor summoned a glowing white teleportation circle.

I turned to Beret to say goodbye and stepped onto the circle — but suddenly, it vanished.

Startled, I looked to Mor. His gaze, however, was fixed on the top of the hill.

Without explanation, he began firing spheres of mana toward the summit, chanting silently.

The relaxed, cheerful expression he usually wore was gone.

Beret pulled me close to him, his eyes hardening.

“Stay by my side,” he said tersely.

I soon saw why.

From the top of the hill, dark, beast-shaped masses with glowing red eyes were rushing down.

When Curey and I caught sight of them, Curey screamed.

The creatures — there was no better word than monsters — were trapped within the barrier the mages had cast, unable to descend further.

They snarled and clawed at the transparent wall, their forms pressing against it. The barrier trembled dangerously.

Clutching Beret’s collar, I stammered, “Wh-what are those things?”

“My guess,” he said grimly, “is that they’re incubos — beasts that have devoured other creatures and turned into monsters. They’re similar to high-grade Incubos. I’ve never actually seen one before.”

That explained why I’d been hearing those nightmarish whispers in my ear. My body trembled as the voices grew clearer.

“Pretty one… I’ll be gentle with you tonight…”

And with that, the scenes of violence that Kim Yeong-woong had inflicted on me in my previous life replayed vividly in my mind.

I collapsed to my knees, curling up.

The more incubos gathered beyond the barrier, the louder the voices grew — and the pain of those beatings returned as though it were real.

Beret cried out, alarmed.

“Asha!”

Mor and Curey turned at his shout, their faces tightening when they saw me.

They were saying something to me — but I couldn’t hear them. I was drowning in the nightmare.

Get a grip! This pain isn’t real… Kim Yeong-woong isn’t here…

Just as I had at the masquerade when facing a high-grade Incubo, I tried to gather mana in my fingertips, desperate to end the nightmare somehow.

But there were too many of them — escaping felt far harder this time.

No matter how I tried to focus, my concentration shattered. My hands only trembled violently.

Don’t black out…!

That was my last thought before I was completely swallowed by the darkness — and lost to the nightmare.