DBOFS 85

Chapter 85

“Wh-why!”

I tore at my hair while staring at Harris’s long eyelashes as he slept—calmly and beautifully, like Sleeping Beauty… no, like a prince.

One day, I thought, maybe he’s just tired.

Two days, I reasoned, perhaps he’s simply overworked and needs to sleep continuously.

‘But three days!’

No matter what, three days is really too much!

“Uh~ um, isn’t that possible?”

However, Camilo, another person with abilities like mine, seemed unfazed.

“Don’t worry, Lady Jade. It’s not like you didn’t try guiding him. He’ll wake up eventually.”

“…….”

Even with Camilo’s nonchalant and somewhat reckless comment about abilities safety, I couldn’t argue.

To be honest, I don’t even know if I can guide, or how to do it!

‘Honestly, I’m not even sure I’ve actually tried before.’

Looking back, I only remember the “Absorption Technique” from the past. And in martial arts, the Absorption Technique isn’t a healing skill—it’s an offensive one.

‘What should I do?’

Now, what should I do?

After Harris collapsed, my intense vigilance made me prevent anyone from visiting his bedroom. No matter what they said outside, I only allowed minimal attendants in to care for him and then sent them away, staying alone by his side.

Thanks to Camilo.

Because I had recruited him at the right time, I could safely stay inside, guarded and served, while still keeping track of what was happening with Godwin.

‘The late duke finally discovered every detail of Lady Irene’s and the Larega family’s plan.’

The former duke, who had supposedly gone abroad, couldn’t have returned at such a perfect timing by chance.

It was all because Harris and I had given him a heads-up.

‘Irene wouldn’t…!’

Naturally, the late duke didn’t take our words at face value.

No matter how suspicious Lady Irene’s actions were, she was still his only daughter.

The one he couldn’t protect and had married off far away, causing her hardship.

‘But that doesn’t mean he completely denied it.’

In the end, the late duke accepted Harris as his successor.

It seems he could no longer simply warn Lady Irene, who might stir trouble and even threaten all of Godwin.

So he pretended to trust her, laid a trap, and actually returned leading an extreme faction opposed to her.

As a result, the old Godwin forces that had supported Lady Irene, obsessed with nostalgia, mostly abandoned her and turned against her.

Now, these former opponents had shifted to revere Harris as their rightful leader.

‘How ridiculous.’

Who had once screamed that no child of Norman Godwin could ever be their master?

I sneered.

In truth, I had hoped things would come to this.

Those who insisted Harris wasn’t fit to succeed and that Lady Irene was right had all been slapped by reality, regretted it, and begged Harris for acceptance.

‘This is the “regret family”… no, the “regret dynasty” part.’

The long-awaited “regret part” had arrived, but it didn’t feel satisfying at all. Just bitter.

‘Is this why Harris was indifferent toward Godwin?’

I recalled Harris’s past words, that he would abandon the family and me anytime, and sighed gloomily.

The world had been far too cruel to our Harris…

Now that things had reached this point, it didn’t matter much anymore, but I still had Camilo gather information from outside.

‘Because I had to send Camilo out, even briefly.’

Honestly, there were too many things I couldn’t reveal, so I couldn’t perform the Absorption Technique in front of Camilo.

It had been too soon since recruiting him—if my deception were discovered, it would be troublesome, especially while Harris was unconscious.

‘Also, the Absorption Technique itself is a skill that would make other ability users wary.’

That scared me even more. Even if Harris questioned it, I didn’t want to confess.

Even in martial arts circles, anyone using the Absorption Technique was extremely distrusted!

So I only tried holding Harris’s hand and performing the technique when Camilo was away.

I didn’t even know if this counted as guiding, but the last time in the Unknown Dungeon, I somehow managed to calm Harris, so I thought maybe it would work again…

‘…Not working.’

This time, unlike in the Unknown Dungeon, the overflowing black magic didn’t flood into his body.

No, it wasn’t that I couldn’t absorb any of it… but instinctively, I knew this wasn’t how Harris would wake up.

‘Then.’

Once again, I placed my trust in Adrian!

I loosened the stone around my neck and placed it on Harris’s palm. Then I held his hand and poured my magic into Adrian (the stone).

‘Our strongest S-rank guide, Adrian, should be able to save Harris with just his resonance guiding!’

Show me your powerful guiding ability!

“…Cough!”

Not long after, I collapsed onto Harris’s bed, pale.

‘This… isn’t working.’

I had poured all my magic into Adrian, and the stone seemed to respond, emitting a significant amount of resonance… but Harris didn’t awaken.

‘At least his complexion seems a bit better.’

That was the only difference…

I panted, absorbing the strong magic radiating from Harris, thinking:

‘So this is the situation where even Adrian’s resonance guiding can’t save him!’

I hesitated too long, and now it had come to this worst-case scenario.

‘I can’t just improvise anymore.’

Accepting reality, the solution became clear.

‘I have to free Adrian.’

According to Sicheongwi’s lore, Harris is naturally difficult to guide. From his awakening as a child and years of being restrained, almost no guide besides Adrian can guide him effectively.

‘In fact, seeing as no other guide has worked, there probably isn’t one.’

And I have an item that might save Adrian without even reaching the Sea Jade Stone.

‘An S-rank item, the Time Stone!’

This was one of the rewards Harris obtained after clearing the Unknown Dungeon, and unusually, he handed it entirely to me.

In Sicheongwi, this item originally belonged to the mercenary king Alucas, who cleared the dungeon, and later it came into Adrian’s hands, allowing him to reset.

If you ask why I didn’t use it sooner:

‘It’s not that I didn’t use it—I couldn’t. The conditions are complicated!’

If it were easy, Alucas would’ve used it immediately in Sicheongwi, right? The Time Stone requires more than just my effort to activate.

“Huu…”

Despite my hesitation, I couldn’t delay anymore.

“Camilo.”

I took a deep breath and called Camilo over, seating him beside me.

“I need to tell you something.”

Camilo’s eyes and mouth widened.

“So—!”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“That ruby, actually—!”

“Ta-da, it’s Adrian.”

“How did—!”

“Thanks to the mage tower lord, Elisius… Camilo, you know that guy’s personality, right?”

“Gyaaah!”

Apparently, revealing the truth made me automatically switch to formal speech.

“…I see, so that’s how it was.”

After a slight shock, Camilo quickly grasped the situation.

“No wonder the resonance felt so familiar… it was him all along.”

Luckily, Camilo didn’t ask, “Then who are you really?” or “Are you even a guide?”

“So, since it’s difficult to save the Sea Jade Stone, you plan to use the Time Stone to somehow restore Adrian before the spell takes effect?”

He went straight to the point.

‘Cool. The best.’

The former duke, Harris, and Camilo—seems like being this composed is what makes one a big shot in this world.

“Yes, but the Time Stone has usage conditions…”

“They’re complicated indeed.”

True to his role as head of the Information Guild, Camilo understood instantly.

“On the dawn of the red moon, with the purest magic… the blood of one descended from the ancient race…”

Muttering other conditions, he then said, “…Lucky. It can be done tonight.”

“Really?!”

“Yes.”

Camilo smiled.

“Since it’s the night of the Red Moon. Some preparations are tricky… but I’m the master of the Information Guild, after all.”

“Wow, that’s amazing…”

Night fell.

Under the red moon, I stood before the magic circle.

On it lay all the rare preparations Camilo had mentioned.

“-Now, follow the desperate plea and turn back time…”

Camilo knelt at the circle, offering sacrifices and chanting the spell.

‘Camilo’s doing all of it.’

Is this what they call riding on someone else’s work in group projects?

‘No, I still have my part.’

The blood of the ancient race.

In Sicheongwi, the ancient races are elves and dragons.

‘Adrian, being a half-elf, used his own blood.’

And according to the talking tree, Danuren Cusette, I, being a pure elf, would enhance the effect.

I cut my fingertip with a dagger, letting the blood flow onto the magic circle.

“Ugh…!”

The blood and magic were sucked away rapidly. My eyelids twitched, and I gasped, unable to lift my hand from the circle.

Simultaneously, the light from the magic circle enveloped the Time Stone and Adrian (the stone), spinning around them.

“…!”

I opened my eyes wide at the changing silhouette around the stone.

Finally!