Chapter – 07
Landslide
A week has passed since I came to the border. I’ve gotten quite used to life here. But there’s still no word from Cecilio.
Why? Is it because the wedding is soon? But it’s strange that he can’t even send one message.
I really want to go back and check. However, since my official appointment letter has been issued, I can’t return either.
One year of practical training and research in Valeriano. There’s even a line about how I’m to hone my skills in this land for the medical development of both countries. If I were to go back now, I’d risk being accused of abandoning my post.
Was my decision back then wrong? But I am a medical mage. There’s no way I could go a whole year without working.
And what reason could there be to keep me away from Cecilio?
What I can think of isāā
“Lucia! This is bad, a landslide! There are people caught in it! Can you go?”
“Yes! I can go! How many people!?”
“A carriage was caught. At least two, at most five, I think.”
“Got it, I’ll prepare quickly!”
A landslide when it hasn’t even been raining?
“Please inform Lord Ricardo to be on alert!”
“Got it, the road’s narrow. We’ll go by horse.”
I rushed to the scene. The guard members who could use earth magic were already moving to rescue.
“Watch out for secondary damage! And don’t let your guard down on perimeter security either!”
As I thought, everyone is suspicious.
After a while, the carriage was dug out. The coachman… no good, he’s already dead. His neck is broken. Resuscitation impossible.
“There are life signs inside… two of them.
I’m opening it. 3, 2, 1!”
A woman and a child? Mother and child… they don’t look alike.
The woman isāācoughing up blood? But there are no obvious external injuries.
The child looks about twelve years old. No external injuries either.
For an accident like this… just how powerful a protection spell was cast on them? Yet the coachman is dead, huh.
“The woman is coughing up blood. Carry her carefully and secure her airway. Neither has external injuries.
Sir Enrique, I request permission for restraint magic.”
“Suspicious?”
“More gray than black, I’d say.”
“Go ahead.”
“Thank you. Then, I’ll perform visual blockage and limb sensory blockage.”
“Huh!?”
“Huh?”
Huh? I did ask for permission to restrain, right?
“No, I was just a bit surprised that Lucia is just as merciless as Lord Ricardo.”
Huh? But they’re using a critically ill patient who could die at any moment, aren’t they? And on top of that, a child? At around twelve, they have more muscle than I do. Very likely an assassin.
Alright, done!
“Restraint complete. Oral toxin check complete. They don’t seem to have magical power, but please put magic-nullifying shackles on them just in case.
I’ve given the woman first aid, but further treatment is difficult here. There’s a high possibility she was left untreated because she couldn’t pay. At this stage of progression… recovery will be difficult.”
Magic is not omnipotent. It cannot heal everything.
It seems nothing identifying was found in the carriage or belongings. If they really are agents of Glasses…
Is war going to break out like this? The wedding of His Highness the Crown Prince and Her Highness the Princess is in three days. I wonder if today’s move is related.
But all I can do is treat them. I need to prepare as much as possible as soon as I get back.
Cecilio… I’m a little scared after all.
“Lucia, do you have a moment?”
“Yes, Lord Ricardo. Is something the matter?”
Oh, is he walking Rico? When Lord Ricardo holds him, Rico looks so tiny. It’s rare for him to come to my room.
“First of all, good work. Enrique praised you. He said you handled it calmly and made accurate judgments. But I was surprised you can use restraint magic.”
“Restraint magic is useful for treatment. There are patients who thrash about in pain, or who make a huge fuss the moment they see a needle and hinder treatment.”
Pain is unavoidable, but I don’t understand why they make such a fuss over just a needle. If they’re a knight, getting cut by a sword would be far more painful and scary.
“…I never thought you’d use it on needle-phobes.”
“I only blur their vision a little, you know? If they didn’t see the syringe, they wouldn’t be scared, but those types always stare right at it and make a huge fuss. It’s strange, isn’t it?”
“Ah, but I think I understand. It’s scary not to confirm what’s being done to your own body, right?”
“I see?”
Is that how it is?
“Oh, I got sidetracked. The boy from the accident earlier woke up. He probably didn’t expect to be restrained to that extent. He was shaken. Thanks to that, we confirmed he’s black. I appreciate it.”
Right. He woke up but couldn’t see. Having no sensation in his limbs must be terrifying. Even though I’m the one who did it.
“Did you find out which side he’s from?”
“No, not yet. How long does that restraint magic last?”
“Well, normally about two days. But it depends on whether he’s built up resistance to such things, so if necessary, it might be better to reapply it daily. I can also change the types to prevent him from getting used to them.”
“…Are you an interrogation officer? No, this is the first time I’ve learned that doctors are scarier than soldiers.”
My, how rude. But doctors study the human body in depth. Depending on how you use that knowledge, we can be quite formidable.
“My family has specialized in biological magic for generations. So we have various documents stored. I loved reading them since I was a child.”
“A child who reads about restraint magic for fun… scary.”
“No, it wasn’t! I was reading healing magic, and occasionally there were weird things mixed in!”
They weren’t formal documents, but personal notes, so they had all sorts of things scribbled in them, which made them interesting.
“Sorry, just joking. Well, I might need to ask you again tomorrow. I’ll have them contact you beforehand then.
Sorry for making you go through something scary today. If you like, you can sleep with Rico. He’s calming. See you.”
“…Thank you?”
Did he bring Rico all the way here because he thought I was scared? What is that?
Ugh~~, Rico is so warm. So soothing. Darn it, it’s embarrassing that he noticed I was scared.
“Rico. Will you sleep with me tonight?”
But still, thank you. Thanks to you, I think I can sleep well.
