Part 1: Saintess Candidate Arc

14. The Promised Festival of Flowers (4)

Translated by: S3

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The boy was carefully cradling a large egg.

「This egg has the Magic Affliction Disease, and since it can’t drink the medicine, we’re stuck with no way to save it. I went and asked the Elder before Lily got here, but he told me there’s no way to get it to the egg. Do you know of any way?」

Gin explained in his usual light tone, but the content was serious. The egg, once unwrapped from its cloth, was more than half gray and covered in rough protrusions.

(The gray parts are probably petrifying.)

The disease was quite advanced, and the child’s life might only last another day or two.

Mmm, Lily furrowed her brow.

It was Lily's first time seeing Magic Affliction Disease in an egg. She understood perfectly why the Elder of Gin’s village had said it was impossible.

「I came here hoping there might be some way.」

The boy standing before her was hanging his head, his voice half-sobbing, making it difficult for her to simply say no without trying anything.

「W-well, first, let me check the condition inside the egg.」

The boy sat on her right and Gin on her left, watching her hands with rapt attention.

(Th-this is awkward...)

She closed her eyes and concentrated on her hands. As she always did when checking the location and symptoms of a wound or illness, she slowly felt the egg. The small life’s heart was beating strongly, but its extremities seemed slightly stiff. It looked painful and pathetic, and she instinctively began applying healing magic. After continuing for a while, she saw the egg move its limbs.

(It worked! It has an effect!)

It was a welcome discovery, but Lily paused her hands. She had consumed more magical power than expected on the area she had treated.

「Lily! Well? Is it salvageable?!」

Gin frantically shook Lily.

「Stop, Gin! Just a moment. I was able to cure the stiffness in its limbs for now. But the disease isn't cured, so it will relapse immediately.」

By using a large amount of magic, the Light Magic had reached the core of the being inside the shell. This meant the Light Magic was effective, even if it was difficult to reach.

「Say, you— um. May I ask your name?」

She spoke to the boy sitting on her right.

「Yes. My name is Elliot.」

「Elliot. I'm Lily. Hey, do you know how much longer it will be before this egg hatches?」

「I think it will be about a week to a month at the latest.」

Hearing that, Lily fell into thought, and an idea came to her.

She simulated the plan in her mind for a while, but from the outside, she only looked hopelessly troubled.

(She said it would relapse, so it probably can't be cured—)

He had come all this way alone, hoping for a solution, but the Elder had told him no, and now Lily flatly stated that while she could cure the current symptoms, they would recur. The sudden surge of hope he felt when a small ray of light appeared was instantly crushed, and Elliot was deeply disappointed.

Still, it was wrong to blame the Elder or Lily. He spoke to Lily to at least thank her for her kindness.

「Thank you. For being so kind—」

「You're being noisy, so please be quiet for a moment.」

Elliot was so shocked by her sharp, stabbing voice that he froze.

「Hold on a minute. You don't have any other leads, do you?」

Gin patted Elliot's shoulder, but Elliot, who had never been so harshly treated by a peer, couldn't recover for a different reason.

(Let's see. I think I drew the purification magic circle on the warehouse about half a month ago, and the investigation of the Protect Wall was about two weeks ago. The warehouse's circle was getting a little weak, and I was debating redrawing the array.)

Lily pondered further. The magic circle she used on the warehouse was the Hexagram (Merkaba) she was proficient in. After that, she had used the sacred geometry that represents life, as taught by Daniel.

(The life geometry was overwhelmingly more effective. But I don't know the duration with my current knowledge. Ah, this is so frustrating!)

She profoundly understood what Daniel had been talking about. What to combine with what to be most efficient. In addition to strength and weakness, duration also needed to be considered. She lacked knowledge, she lacked experience. Yet, the egg before her needed a solution immediately.

「Elliot and Gin. I have something I want to discuss.」

Lily explained the most she could do in terms of treatment to Elliot and Gin.

「I'm thinking of drawing a magic circle on the eggshell and applying healing magic. That way, the progression of the disease can be stopped while the magic circle is effective. It won't be a complete cure, but if the egg is going to hatch in a month at the latest, I think there's a way to stop the symptoms and get through it. And once it hatches, it can be treated with medicine. However—」

The light returned to Elliot’s eyes, but it vanished from Lily’s as she continued.

「However, I can’t guarantee it will last a month. I'm still studying and experimenting, and I’ve only confirmed that it lasts two weeks. I want to decide how to reapply the healing magic when the effect wears off after two weeks.」

Saying that, Lily tightly gripped Gin's sleeve.

「Gin, can't you do something?」

「Huh? What?!」

Gin, whose attention was suddenly demanded, panicked but immediately understood Lily's intention.

She needed a passage for Lily and Elliot to meet again in two weeks, and she was asking Gin to arrange it.

「I-I can’t do something like that...」

He started to refuse, but he couldn't. Elliot's condition was clearly unstable.

Perhaps having reached his limit from the repeated cycle of hope and despair, unconcealed hostility and killing intent were rising from his body.

(Whoa! I’ll be killed if I refuse!)

Gin made an immediate decision. There was a way. The Black Market was hosted by the Beast Tribe living in the Nogre Forest, and it was their job to open the temporal holes set up in various places.

「O-okay, I'll figure something out. Um, take this. That way I can come get you. I’ll go meet Elliot at sunset two weeks from now. If necessary, we can both visit Lily’s place. Is that okay!」

Gin pulled something from his pocket and handed it to the two of them. It was a round, glossy loose gem, small enough to fit in the palm, that glowed softly and beautifully depending on the angle.

「This will serve as a marker. Just move to a secluded place when the promised time comes, okay?」

With this, the follow-up in two weeks was secure. Lily turned back to Elliot for final confirmation.

「Since this is the first time I’m attempting this treatment, there may be imperfections, but I will do my absolute best. May I proceed with the treatment?」

「……」

Elliot couldn't answer. He hadn't expected a solution to be possible at all.

It wasn't a matter of whether he could do it or not; he had simply come this far without a thought for the future, driven only by the feeling that he couldn't do nothing.

He couldn't believe that these two people he had just met had found a workable method; it felt like a dream.

「Are you perhaps worried about an unprecedented treatment?」

He was anxious. He also felt that he wouldn't want anything less than an absolutely certain method of success.

When he thought that his sibling's life rested entirely on this decision, he couldn't casually agree.

Seeing his face, Lily judged that he wouldn't agree and handed the egg back to Elliot.

Elliot held the returned egg but remained unable to answer. However, the egg in his hands moved and trembled insistently.

「—No. Please, go ahead. The child itself wishes for it.」

Harboring complex emotions, Elliot bowed his head deeply.

*****

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