Chapter 29 : It’s time for post-war rewards
Nia dashed through the forest with El strapped to her back.
Her heart pounded violently—not just from running, but more from worry and fear.
It felt as though El’s life was slowly draining away on her back. She could sense his faint breaths and the growing chill in his body.
“Hold on, El, we’re almost there.” Nia shouted over her shoulder, her footsteps quickening.
Finally, she saw the familiar courtyard.
“Your Highness!”
Nia barged through the door with a rough shove. Her frantic appearance startled Meira, but she immediately spotted El on Nia’s back.
“Nia, put him down carefully! Be careful!” Meira reacted instantly, directing Nia.
“Mm.” Nia carefully laid El on the bed, her hands trembling slightly from nerves.
Meira quickly began a series of urgent treatments.
Her palms emitted a gentle green glow as the energy of natural magic flowed into El’s body.
The treatment lasted the entire night. It wasn’t until morning that Meira finally stopped channeling the natural magic.
Sweat beaded on her forehead and her face was pale—obviously, the night’s healing had drained much of her strength.
“How is he, Your Highness?” Nia, who had been waiting anxiously nearby, leaned in with a worried voice.
“Unfortunately…” Meira began.
Those three words hit like thunder. Nia felt her heart stop; the world seemed to freeze in that moment.
“Is there no hope?” Nia’s voice trembled.
“Let me finish first.” Meira said weakly. “Mr. El has a strong constitution. His affinity for natural magic far exceeds expectations, and his injuries have mostly healed. If it weren’t for the pure human bloodline within him, I’d almost suspect he was an elf. But unfortunately, his legs have suffered serious injuries. He probably won’t be able to move for the next few days.”
“That’s a relief…” Nia exhaled deeply, her taut nerves finally relaxing. Although El had temporarily lost mobility, at least his life was not in danger.
“What happened? Why is Mr. El so badly injured?” Meira’s eyes were full of concern and curiosity.
Nia briefly explained the battle with the Dragon Demon from the previous night. At the critical moments, Meira couldn’t help but gasp.
After learning that El had risked his life to protect Nia, Meira’s respect for him grew even deeper.
She looked at El, who lay on the bed with furrowed brows, and sighed deeply.
“Now you have to believe it—Mr. El really is a good person.” Meira said softly.
Nia grunted in agreement. Though she didn’t show it outwardly, in her heart she had completely accepted her first human friend.
“All right, it’s time for the next phase of treatment.” Meira said. “We need some herbs. Nia, you stay here and tend to El’s wounds. I’ll ask the animal friends for help—they should know where the medicinal herbs grow in the forest.”
With that, Meira left to find help from the animals.
Nia didn’t hesitate and immediately began tending to El’s wounds, carefully unfastening his clothes.
El’s most serious wound was on his shoulder—pierced directly by the Dragon Demon’s magic. The skin around the wound was charred black, contrasting starkly with the surrounding new muscle and skin.
The remaining wounds were mostly on his legs and lower abdomen. Though not as deep as the shoulder wound, there were many of them, all embedded with debris from the explosion.
Patiently, Nia removed every fragment before exhaling deeply. Her gaze suddenly froze on one spot.
Unconsciously, Nia swallowed hard. The curse on her lower abdomen seemed to sense something, flaring up awkwardly.
This was the first time the curse had reactivated since it last vented. If it hadn’t flared now, Nia might have almost forgotten it existed.
Should she check that area as well?
A strange thought suddenly popped into Nia’s mind.
Just as the thought surfaced, Meira pushed the door open.
“Nia, the animal friends brought us plenty of herbs good for external wounds.” Meira asked, “Have you done the basic wound treatment?”
“Y-yes, it’s done.” Nia replied, stammering as she came back to herself.
“Then all that’s left is to apply the medicine.”
Meira approached with the ground herbs, but as she tried to proceed, Nia stopped her.
“Your Highness, leave this to me. You’ve used your magic for so long, it’s time for you to rest.”
Without a word, Nia took the medicine from her and gently pushed Meira onto a nearby chair.
Meira thought for a moment. With her magic depleted, she couldn’t help much now. It was better to meditate and recover her power for when it was really needed.
So she agreed to Nia’s suggestion.
“Then… I’ll meditate here. If you need anything, wake me.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Watching Meira enter a meditative state, Nia dipped a cloth in the medicine and began applying it to El’s wounds.
The herbs were mildly irritating, so touching the wounds inevitably caused pain.
Thus, El’s groans echoed through the room.
Even in meditation, Meira could hear his ebb and flow of pain-filled cries.
Time passed without anyone knowing how long.
Suddenly, the groans changed.
Meira found it hard to describe the sound—it was a strange, soft hum.
Then came El’s faint, breathy murmurs in a dreamlike voice.
He was calling for Nia.
Unable to resist her curiosity, Meira opened her eyes.
From her angle, El’s eyes were tightly shut, his face flushed with a feverish red unlike that of a patient.
He tightly gripped Nia’s hand, moving it back and forth just above his abdomen…
And he muttered a dazed whisper.
“Nia, you smell so sweet…”
What exactly were they doing?
Meira, whose view was blocked by Nia, looked on with puzzled eyes.