.jpg)
IBP 25
“Who is it!”
I struggled, trying to wriggle out of the grip.
“Oh, why is there a baby here?”
The owner of the elegant yet coquettish voice was none other than....
“Theresia Ardos!”
“My, you know my name? I suppose the rumors about you being illiterate were fake.”
Flanked by numerous elders, she stared at me and tilted her head.
“Regardless, for the sake of proper treatment, outsiders are forbidden from entering. It is truly a pity... but let us meet another time.”
I struggled, but I couldn't hold my ground.
Thump.
My body was hoisted up by the knights and transported straight back to my annex.
* * *
After moving Coco far away, Theresia gathered the elders of the House of Ardos in the prayer room located in the northern annex.
“As you know, I have come to treat Grand Prince Rivera.”
“Ah, Lady Theresia herself is...”
“Therefore, I ask that you all bear witness.”
Theresia removed the pure white veil from her head and smiled holily.
Lucrezia, who had left for the temple a few days ago, had given Theresia several instructions.
“Theresia, you possess purification power, don't you? With that purification power, you can mimic healing power to a slight degree; you've treated many people before. This is your chance. Use your supernatural ability to make Grand Duke Rivera owe you a debt.”
“If I do that, will I be able to become the Grand Duchess?”
“Yes. I hear the Grand Duke treasures Grand Prince Rivera dearly. They say he would readily give hundreds of billions of gold if only someone could cure him.”
“I find both very tempting.”
Theresia smiled thinly, hiding her greed.
If she became the Grand Duchess of Rivera, she would obtain an infinite amount of honor that someone like Chloe could never achieve.
The eyes of everyone in the prayer room were focused on her hand.
In the center of the sanctuary, Grand Prince Rivera sat still.
There was no expectation whatsoever in his indifferent expression.
“As you may have guessed, Grand Prince Rivera's illness is 'special ability rampage syndrome.'”
“Ability rampage... Can it be cured, Lady Theresia? I have never heard in my life of a rampage being cured by purification power.”
Despite the stirring atmosphere, Theresia only smiled softly.
“Of course. Now that the illness has been diagnosed, it must be cured.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a murky white light flowed from Theresia's hand.
It was a light gray mixed with some turbidity, but it was certainly light.
‘This is quite satisfactory.’
Perhaps because it had been a while since she had unleashed it in front of everyone, the people gazed at the light as if it were holy.
“Is that the purification power?”
“My goodness, as expected of Lady Theresia.”
“I heard that white light emanating from the fingertips is evidence of a powerful divine blessing.”
“Lady Theresia's light isn't pure white, but it's close to white anyway, isn't it?”
An elder, observing the situation, quickly flattered her.
“You are truly amazing, Lady Theresia. Does not imperfect darkness simply vanish before the great light?”
“Indeed, the light in Lady Theresia's hand is the most beautiful. For it is the power that purifies wicked forces.”
While they praised Theresia and bonded by indirectly criticizing Chloe, who used 'darkness' magic, Caligo simply lowered his eyelashes.
‘I’m still in pain.’
Despite Theresia using her supernatural ability, Caligo's condition was not good.
Scratches appeared all over the back of his hands, and bright red blood even stained his shoulders.
But saying it hurt would be a nuisance.
He merely muttered, swallowing the groaning moans behind his lips.
“...Shoulder.”
“Ah, blood... It is a natural healing crisis.”
“...”
Theresia looked at him and spoke kindly.
“Grand Prince, today's treatment is finished. It seems you are gradually improving.”
At her words, the surrounding admiration continued.
“As expected of Lady Theresia! Today's treatment was enchanting.”
“Truly, it seems Grand Prince Rivera is pleased as well.”
Theresia smiled softly and patted his back.
“Then, Grand Prince. I will come again tomorrow to finish the remaining treatment.”
A smile certainly lingered on her lips.
However, it was a cold touch devoid of any kindness.
Accompanied by everyone's praise that 'Lady Theresia is indeed amazing,' she swept away.
Once the treatment ended, Caligo's entire body throbbed, but he bit his lip hard. Still, he wanted to hope.
‘Maybe I'm just mistaken.’
Everyone is saying I'll get healthy.
If I'm lucky, maybe I can become healthy too.
I'll be able to swing a sword normally.
And I won't have to be a burden to my father or brother anymore.
He gasped from the long-lasting pain and closed his eyes.
Within his fading vision.
Someone came running urgently.
Then, they fed him something.
“...nim.”
A voice that no one here heard because they were too busy praising Theresia.
But to Caligo, it was a voice more intense than any other.
He didn't want to think about anything anymore.
Just as he was about to give up on everything.
A dark shadow flowed from his fingertips.
The shadow writhed for a moment and then slipped outside.
Without anyone knowing.
* * *
Emperor of Mouse brought the visual recording sphere with great effort.
“Thanks, eat this!”
“Wow, the best cheese! You've turned the tables upside down!”
After playing the visual recording sphere placed on the table.
I frowned.
“Mouse, what should we do? At this rate, the Grand Prince is going to go berserk soon. Bad Theresia!”
His condition was exactly the same as when I saw the future!
“How unfortunate. Phew, cheese really is the best.”
“But this visual recording sphere is flickering, and I can't see things clearly... What should I do? What do you think?”
“Regardless of that, I think I want to eat more cheese.”
The mouse, blinded by cheese, was of no help.
If I looked closely at the visual recording sphere, I could figure out why the Grand Prince was like that, and if I'm lucky, there might be a clue to curing him, but for some reason, the screen wasn't clear.
I sighed deeply while carefully reviewing the image sphere.
‘I can only see Theresia doing strange things.’
I want to see it more clearly.
“How on earth do you make this thing move?”
I tried hard to operate it with my clumsy gestures.
Then, the mouse pressed the visual recording sphere firmly with its hand.
“This zooms in. Amazing, right?”
“Whoa!”
My eyes widened as I watched the flowing video.
The situation had finally reached its end.
Then, a woman's delicate hand appeared.
And I saw the drink she was feeding the Grand Prince.
“What is that water? It's a delicious color.”
“Mouse, I'll give you more cheese, so stop obsessing over food.”
“Zoom in more. I want to drink that water!”
The mouse, who had been eating cheese diligently on the table, revealed its greed.
Then, it fell back with a thud.
And.
Screeeech—!
With a loud noise, the volume increased tremendously.
“The Grand Prince really requires so much care. No wonder His Highness the Grand Duke considers the Young Prince a nuisance. How pitiful. From now on, just as you are now, you must trust only me and keep only those I have selected close to you. That is the only way you can become healthy.”
The mouse's eyes and mine widened simultaneously.
“Hul.”
“What am I? Am I truly a genius mouse? How did I catch this exact scene so perfectly?”
“Mouse, that's not what's important!”
I just found out why the Grand Prince avoided me!
I knew who the owner of this voice was.
“Grand Prince, you mustn't be outside. Please come inside quickly.”
It was the Grand Prince's nanny.
I clearly remembered the nanny's voice I had heard when I escaped through the dog hole earlier.
“You know too, right, Mouse? If a person's heart becomes unstable, they go berserk.”
“Yeah. That's common sense.”
Therefore, I had to stop both Theresia and the nanny.
‘If it's hard to stop both, I have to stop the nanny first.’
So, first, I had to delay the berserk state.
I rushed out.
Toward the boy who would be sitting quietly in the desolate space after the crowds had vanished at the end of the visual recording sphere!
* * *
“Hello!”
“You, why are you here again?”
In the garden in front of the annex after the treatment.
Caligo Rivera, the small boy left alone, did not like the tiny girl who suddenly appeared.
Especially, the girl's eyes bothered him.
‘Kids with pure and clear eyes like you wouldn't know.’
He clenched his scar-filled hand tightly.
‘The feeling of one's own body becoming a prison.’
It was just as he muttered softly, forcing his stinging eyes to stay open.
He saw the small girl moving her feet briskly in front of him.
‘She's still here even though I keep speaking harshly?’
Caligo, bewildered by her spirited demeanor, stammered in confusion.
“You, go away. Why do you keep coming to see me?”
“Yep! Because there's something I want to see!”
The small girl moved busily around the area.
At the fingertips of the girl, a small parafo seed was visible.
“Stop digging up the flowerbed and get out right now!”
He intentionally stomped his foot.
It was because he remembered the terrifying words the nanny had said.
“The Grand Prince is like a time bomb. He could kill the people around him. So, if anyone other than me comes close, you must drive them away by any means necessary.”
He intended to get angry in any way possible to drive the child away.
However, there was no reaction from the girl.
She simply gripped the seed in her hand tightly.
Was she hurt?
‘...Was I too harsh?’
.jpg)