Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy
Iris
“Well then, I’ll have to go and report to Uncle. See you later.”
With those words, Zeltis-san left to find Leonhardt-sama.
When we arrived at the craftsmen’s street, the fighting there had already subsided.
We continued through the main street, arriving at the central square in the heart of the city. It also happened to be where the café I visited before was located.
Water was drawn from the river flowing through the capital, fed by the cold, clear melted snow from the rugged mountains behind it.
Using that rich, clear flow, a fountain was erected, and a beautiful landscape was created by the waterways that encircle the area, making it a leisure spot in the capital.
But now, the mercenaries who came with us were mingling with the soldiers who’d fought their way here from the castle… Despite their exhaustion, they were on full alert, weapons at the ready.
The atmosphere was tense and uneasy, completely different from when I visited before.
Though I felt somewhat overwhelmed, I had to focus on my job.
Adjusting my hood, I moved toward the crowd, took a deep breath, and spoke out.
“Anyone injured, please gather here! Those with severe injuries or unable to move, please report for priority treatment!”
Raising my voice so as not to be drowned out by the commotion, eventually, I managed to get ppl with various degrees of injuries to gather before me.
Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be anyone severely injured here.
However, some of them might have been transported to another place, so I’d need to inquire later.
I administered “Area Heal” to the gathered crowd several times and provided individual treatment for those more heavily wounded than others. In the middle of that…
“…Iris-chan!”
Suddenly, someone called my name from the side.
It was a rather cheerful voice, the complete opposite of the current circumstances.
I reflexively turned around to see a petite girl… Titilia-san, darting out from the crowd and grabbing my hand eagerly.
“Are you hurt anywhere? Please tell me you didn’t do anything reckless again.”
“I’m doing pretty well now actually… How about you, Tia-san?”
She accompanied the main force and had been in continuous battles, but she didn’t seem to have any apparent injuries. The minor scratches she’d received, I quickly dealt with them with a light use of Heal so that no scars would remain.
She looked quite exhausted, now that I got a closer look, but seeing her looking out for me like this, I couldn’t help but feel the tension relaxing to an extent.
I think she felt the same way… The slight grimace on her face, as she scolded me for being reckless, loosened when she noticed the expression on my face.
“W-Well… you know, I was with Milord all the time, of course I’m doing well too, ahaha…”
She then turned her face away from me, clearly embarrassed, scratching her cheek as she spoke.
“A-Anyway! That’s not why I’m here! There’s something that I need your help with…”
“My help?”
“Yes. After taking a short break here, Milord and everyone plan to head straight to the west gate, so I’d like to recast my support magic now… Iris-chan, you have a spell to expand the range of magic effects, right? I want you to assist me.”
“I don’t mind… but we need to find somewhere inconspicuous.”
Spell Extension was unique to me, a Lightwing, and I had to unveil my wings in order to use it.
Although the evacuation here was over and there were no people around, I could still see soldiers scattered around. While some of them were present in the Diamant Valley battle… only a handful knew the situation.
As I hesitated to expose my wings in front of a large crowd…
“So it’s fine if no one can see us, right?”
“…Yes?”
“Then it’s no big deal at all. Just come with me.”
She led me by the hand and dragged me to a narrow alley.
Before I knew it, she’d shoved both me and herself into that space.
That… inadvertently made her look like she’s pressing me against the wall in a position not unlike the so-called “kabedon”.
Awawawah?! Something soft was pushing on my chest…!
Thrown into this situation without any mental preparation, I screamed internally.
Our bodies were pressed together in a tight embrace, and in this posture, that “pair” of her, which had some size to it unlike mine, vigorously asserted themselves.
And then there was the faint sweet scent of a girl mixed with sweat floating in the air.
…I was this close to a full-on panic attack.
“Um, Tia-san…? What exactly are you…”
“Like I said, it’s fine if no one can see us. Just leave it to me.”
With that, Titilia-san started chanting some kind of spell.
As she whispered by my ear, her breath grazing my earlobe made my fingertips twitch uncomfortably, and I instinctively closed my eyes.
…Thank the heaven I didn’t make any strange noises.
Though it should have been a few seconds, it felt like minutes had passed.
“Stone Wall! …There, how does that look?”
I cautiously opened my eyes.
The entrance to the alleyway was now blocked by a stone wall.
As Titilia-san continued to fumble about, every time she moved, I couldn’t help but feel the softness of the girl’s body being pressed against mine. I felt dizzy and my consciousness almost faded… but she, on the other hand, was wearing a serious expression, covering the top with a coat she had taken off like a tent.
Thus, she made an impromptu booth for the two of us to hide from the surroundings.
I see… Yes, we should be fine in here.
I managed to calm my pounding heart somehow. She was working on a solution all along.
What happened earlier was, hopefully, simply an accident.
“…I’m sorry for earlier, do you mind being touched?”
“N-Not at all! Ahaha…”
In the middle of fastening the coat with a pin, she awkwardly asked, and I shook my head vigorously in response.
I’m the one who should be apologizing, Titilia-san!
I felt deeply ashamed for harboring such impure thoughts, especially when she had gone through the trouble of arranging everything for me.
I wished there was a hole on the ground so I could jump inside.
“Really? So, can we get started now?”
“Y-Yes! Um… Spell Extension!“
As I began to chant, golden light emanated from my back. And soon, it was adorned with the shimmering colors of the rainbow dancing around.
“…And done. You can go ahead anytime.”
I reached out my hands enveloped in the rainbow to her, and she intertwined her fingers with mine.
As our hands connected, surrounded by the rainbow ring, our preparations were complete.
“…This is quite embarrassing, isn’t it?”
“Hehe… It really is.”
Both of us, gripping each other’s hands tightly, exchanged awkward smiles, feeling the smoothness of each other’s slender fingers and the warmth they conveyed.
“Well then… let’s begin.”
With that declaration, she, who had started chanting first, began to recite her spell. The cherry-colored lips right in front of me produced a refreshing melody as she started uttering powerful words.
“…Force Edge!”
Her magic was unleashed, and within the narrow space, particles of rainbow light danced around.
“Force Edge” was an offensive support magic that can be learned by the Sage class, a secondary class of the Enchanter grouping.
In the game, its effect was to enhance the attack power of weapons and enable them to deal additional magic damage.
However, as explained by her when I saw it demonstrated before, in this world, its effects go beyond what was described in the game text.
This is because it covers the blade with a magical membrane, which can easily remove blood and grease that would normally stick to the blade, prevent it from becoming dull, and maintain its sharpness during its effect duration.
Speaking of Titilia-san, the name of her tertiary class gained from the reincarnation was apparently Harmonizer.
As the highest form of the Enchanter, she’s capable of adjusting other people and even the surrounding space to her own will, as evident by her spells that could grant powerful buffs and alter the environment.
However, some of her buffing spells, while incredibly powerful, come with massive drawbacks… For example, she once told me about one that can “temporarily increase reaction speed and muscle strength to superhuman level, but cause severe muscle pain after wearing off”.
For that reason, she seemed to limit herself to only using terrain manipulation magic for now.
Were she to use that buffing spell now, we would end up having to deal with a horde of ghouls that couldn’t move a muscle due to pain… Although I could just heal them back to normal, let’s not subject them to any of that if there’s no need for it, yes.
…I seemed to have digressed too much.
The commotion outside our hiding spot seemed to be growing louder, so I think the effects of Titilia-san’s magic were already kicking in.
“Um… It’s my turn next.”
With a brief chant, I cast my own buffing spell.
“Enhance Armor!”
…All in all, this is quite a mundane task. After all, we had no idea of what’s happening outside the wall.
“Power Enchant!”
“Regenerate!”
“Speed Enchant!”
Afterward, we took turns casting magic, Titilia-san with her body strengthening spells, and I with defense and healing related spells.
As soon as I finished and dispelled my wings, the stone wall blocking the alleyway crumbled and scattered into sand.
“Argh! I’m so exhausted! I can’t do this anymore!”
“Hehe… Thank you for your hard work, Tia-san.”
“…Iris-chan, you seem unfazed. Just how much magic power do you have?”
With a slightly sullen look, she linked her arm with mine and leaned on my shoulder for comfort.
I let out an awkward chuckle.
We moved toward a nearby flower bed and sat on its edge.
Around us, everyone had finished their breaks and were now hurrying to switch places with others who had returned from the frontline.
As we rested, drinking mana water from our respective magic bag and observing the scene, suddenly, a voice came from above.
“Hey there, found you at last. Iris-chan, someone who seems to be the lord of this city’s looking for you.”
“Ah, good work out there, Scar-san.”
Red hair peering from the rooftop.
It was Scar-san, who was on guard duty around this area. When he spotted me, he leapt from the roof he was standing on and lightly landing in front of me.
At the same time… I felt a shiver that wasn’t mine. It came from Titilia-san’s arm, still linked with my own.
“Hi there, missy. Is this the first time we’ve met?”
“Eep…”
Yes, she gasped and quickly hid behind me.
The trembling sensation of her hands on my back told me it was serious.
…She once told me that she wasn’t good with men.
Understanding how she felt, I patted her back to reassure her.
“It’s okay, this person is a good friend of mine… Besides, you’re fine with Saul-niisama and Reiji-san, aren’t you?”
“That’s… because they’re honest and kind… Actually, I somehow don’t see Saul-san as a man that much, and Reiji-san… well, you and he seem to trust each other a lot, so I think I can manage…”
I nodded in understanding as she, close to crying, confessed.
Compared to those two, Scar-san’s flashy appearance and attitude might have come off as intimidating…
I helped her stand up, but she still seemed to be in shock and reluctant to move. I gave Scar-san an apologetic smile.
“I’m sorry, she’s just…”
“……Ah. I didn’t mean to scare your friend like that. Sorry…”
Scar-san, who seemed to understand the circumstances, decided to follow me and Titilia-san, who had to hold onto me to walk, while maintaining a wide berth between us.
Then, as we moved past the soldiers…
“Titilia. And Your Highness Irisria.”
The Count, who was talking to a soldier, noticed us. He briefly raised his hand to dismiss the soldier and walked toward us.
“The support magic from earlier must have come from you both. It’s certainly helpful… Titilia, are you unwell?”
His gaze was directed at the trembling Titilia-san as he said that.
In his eyes, I could sense a hint of pity when one looked at something painful.
However, the word of praise and concern from her lord certainly helped.
Titilia-san raised her head and smiled back at Leonhardt-sama, albeit weakly.
Seeing that, both Leonhardt-sama and I sighed in relief.
“We’ll now proceed to the west gate as planned, but thanks to your support, we have plenty of strength to spare. Therefore, I shall attach some of my female soldiers as your bodyguards. Since the situation with the wyverns is showing signs of calming down, I believe both of you should remain here and provide relief to the injured at your own pace.”
“Yes. Please be careful, Leonhardt-sama.”
And please take care of that girl for the time being.
He didn’t say that out loud, but I could sense the intention behind his gaze. I solemnly nodded.
Besides, from here on out, we probably wouldn’t have to participate in any more combat… When I looked up at the sky, the number of wyverns had completely decreased.
“Thanks to you, we were able to minimize the damage done to this city and its people. As someone who’s in charge of this land… I’d like to express my utmost gratitude.”
“N-No, I only wish to repay you in any way I can…”
I hurriedly waved my hands as he bowed his head.
I’d received so much favors from him, this is the least I could do to show my gratitude…
“…However.”
He suddenly narrowed his eyes.
The sheer pressure of his stare was so overwhelming that it drowned out whatever he was trying to say. My whole body became stiff, like a frog being glared at by a snake. A small groan escaped my throat.
“…When this is all over, we’ll have a lot to discuss.”
“……………Yes.”
The corners of his mouth was curling upwards, but his eyes weren’t smiling at all.
I could only give a resigned nod and watched as Leonhardt-sama turned on his heel and went to the frontline.
Is this how a child feels when they’re about to get grounded by their parents?
Amidst the odd looks the bodyguards he left behind was giving me… I wondered how long the inevitable lecture would last, and sighed deeply.
Though, the fact that I could carefreely think about such a trivial matter is because this incident is coming to an end soon.
In the distance, I saw a wyvern abandoning its attack and scurrying back to the sky, giving up on its meal.
This stampede was already over.
With that thought in mind, my mood lightened immediately.
The uncanny sensation of detecting injured people still lingered, though it didn’t matter that much since I hadn’t located any more people who need urgent treatment.
Come to think of it… I got a massive headache just before gaining that ability. While the pain was no longer present, there was still a slight heat on my forehead.
But when I touched it with my hand, I couldn’t feel any such heat.
Moreover, Titilia-san was the first person to notice it, but ever since I started feeling the heat on my forehead, I felt like the burden of using magic has stopped bothering me so much.
“…What’s the matter?”
“It’s nothing… I feel a little weird on my forehead, that’s all.”
As Titilia-san looked at me in bewilderment, I dug into the magic bag on my waist, pulled out a hand mirror, brushed my neatly trimmed bangs aside and looked into it-
“This is…”
“Iris-chan? Wait… Is your forehead glowing?”
On my forehead, there was a very faint glow, barely noticeable unless I focus at it, in the shape of a small mark that looked like a staff and a pair of wings.
I think I vaguely remembered why.
In the dream I had in Diamant Valley… that was the spot where I was touched by that person… Lilith-san.
APM - Translation 