NOVEL NEXT Chapter 100 – Recovery
I open my eyes, instantly regretting the decision as my vision is flooded with light, causing me to squeeze my eyelids shut.
My body felt... stiff.
And sore.
Really really sore.
Especially around my chest.
Taking a few seconds to adjust, I try again, this time more slowly.
Looking around, I notice that I'm in my room.
And sitting at the end of the bed...
"Husband!"
I'm then engulfed in a hug as Ryuu pulls my head into her chest, sending a searing pain shooting through my body.
"Ow ow ow!" I whine.
"Ah! Sorry, but... you're finally awake!" She says with a wide smile.
"Indeed I am... I guess you made it in time, huh?" I say in return.
I don't remember much after killing Vito, but I swear I heard the sound of my wives coming to my rescue, and considering those other guys wouldn't have simply let me live, I must have been saved in a nick of time.
"Yes... yes, we did." She says, wiping away a tear from her eye.
She then pulls me into another hug, but this time more gentle.
"You did well, husband. I'm proud of you." She says lovingly.
"Thanks, sweetie. But... why wasn't I fully healed?" I ask, looking down at my chest.
It was wrapped in a bandage, and I could see some dried blood seeping into the cloth.
Was this some kind of punishment?
Kind of mean, no?
"Well... we brought you to the Dea Saint, but even she couldn't stop the effect of a cursed weapon." Ryuu answers.
Cursed weapon?
Oh... so that was its effect.
No healing magic, or something like that.
How shitty.
"Damn. I guess I'm staying here for a while then?" I ask.
"Yes, no physical activities for a week. Doctor's orders!" She says with a stern pout.
You know... I wouldn't mind seeing her in a nurse outfit.
But that could happen later after I was healed.
"And what of the kids?" I ask.
Her brows furrow at this.
"They are... safe. But they've been feeling down since the attack. Especially Alea. And Leo has started training even when I tell him not to... They'll be happy to see you back." She says after a moment.
"That's... good." I say.
They were safe.
Everyone was safe.
Everyone except for- no, time for grieving came later.
For now...
"How long was I out?" I ask.
"A day and a half. It's lunchtime right now." She answers.
"I see... and? What happened?" I ask.
Ryuu shakes her head.
"We can talk about that once Lyra and Alise get back from the guild. For now, can you feel your falna?" She asks.
Thinking about it now, I did feel the same level of strength as before I got hit by... whatever that status-sealing thing was.
Actually... no, that wasn't quite right.
I felt stronger.
Much stronger.
The mind in my body which used to be a lake, now felt like an ocean, brimming with possibility.
The hell?
"Ryuu? What the heck happened?" I ask.
"You did something crazy once again, husband. And since you were already so close... Well, were you expecting anything less?" She says, handing me a paper from the bedside table.
Looking down, I feel my eyebrows shoot to the top of my head.
-======================================================-
Name: Sirius Lovion
Level: 6 --> 7
Strength: SSS1250 --> I0
Endurance: SSS1215 --> I0
Dexterity: SSS1305 --> I0
Agility: SSS1244 --> I0
Magic: SSS1381 --> I0
Magic Sense: D
Abnormal Resistance: E --> D
Magic Swordsman: C
Spirit Pleasure: D
Supreme Blade: D --> C
Magic Resistance: I
Skills:
Heroic Will
Strike of Hope
Stellar Sword Style
Magia Imperium
Dragon Slayer - Increases stats when facing dragon-type monsters and increases magic resistance.
Magic:
Celestial Ascent
Aqua Corona
Elemental Orb
-======================================================-
...Damn.
I levelled up!
And with an extra skill too...
"We chose Magic Resistance as your new development ability as we hoped it would remove the curse. Obviously, it didn't work, but it did make it a bit better." Ryuu says.
"That was a good idea then. Did I have any other choices?" I ask.
"Chain Attack and Strong Body." She answers.
"Yeah, I would've chosen this anyway." I say.
But Dragon Slayer... other than the extra magic resistance, it wasn't a great skill for the dungeon, all things considered.
But for my quest to kill the Black Dragon... well, what else could you call it but fate?
But this new status...
Closing my eyes, I cast Aqua Corona, allowing the streams of water to wrap around my body before heading toward my chest.
My mind felt refreshed, and the blood stuck to my body was cleaned, but as soon as the magic reached out toward the cells, they were blocked off, as if there was a barrier there.
Hmm...
"Ryuu, do you think I could cut away the flesh around the wound? Then I might be able to heal it since I made the new wound, not Vito's sword." I propose.
"No. The Dea Saint already tried that but to no avail. Calm down, husband. Orario won't fall just because you took a week of rest." She says, quickly shutting down my suggestion.
But I wanted to train!
I had loads of cool stuff I wanted to try!
And... unquenched anger that needed to be vented.
While I waited for Lyra and Alise to return to get a read on the situation, the rest of the Familia was informed about my awakened state, meaning a lot of visits, the most notable one being from my children.
I guess Alea and Stella did not have much experience with injured people in their past lives, or maybe they just didn't care, but I certainly got a grim reminder of my injury when they simultaneously jumped at me for a hug.
But the pain seemed to wash away when I was able to see their happy, relieved smiles.
Leo, on the other hand, was... calm.
But a forced kind of calm.
He wanted to train.
I knew this because it was the exact same thing I was feeling right now.
I guess, even though I haven't been his dad for his entire mental life, we were pretty similar after all, huh?
And Ellie... she was just relieved.
That's good, but I'd have to talk to them later once I was alone to get a complete understanding of how they were feeling.
Eventually, Alise and Lyra returned, and after a quick hug from my redheaded wife, we got down to business.
"So... why did they attack? Unlike normal Evilus operations, there was no grand plan, nor was it done on a public stage to spread terror. So why? Was it a distraction?" Lyra says.
"I don't think so. It was an ambush made with the intent to kill." I respond seriously.
"He said something about his 'lord' and how I had messed up his plans though... maybe it was revenge for the Xenos?" I ask.
"Perhaps. But still, they are usually not a group to go so far for petty revenge." Ryuu says.
Hmm...
"Maybe they got a new leader?" Alise proposes.
"Perhaps... but still, it was a fairly stupid move. They showed their new status sealant, which could have led to devastating consequences if they used it smartly." Lyra says.
"But then again, if I died, and everyone else did too, we wouldn't know about the status sealant. In fact, that might be why the effect on the needles disappeared after the attack, if it was timed, that is." I chime in.
"That... seems reasonable. If they could accurately judge that you're the strongest in Orario... alongside our Familia's history... yeah, it might have just been a simple assassination attempt." Lyra says.
"...I do have a question though. Why didn't the Ganesha Familia show up?" I ask.
Alise releases a deep sigh at this.
"There was a bunch of criminals throughout the city that attacked at the same time, meaning they were overwhelmed. All the ones we interrogated said something about a girl with red hair making them join the plan with a threat, and with the bodies that were found the next morning, it seems like it was a serious one." Alise says.
Damn... someone who could skirt around Orario unchecked like that... whether they were contracted by Evilus or a member of their organization, something was made obvious.
"There's a rat in Orario, isn't there?" I say.
"Yes. We had thought either that, or Knossos was back in business, but we checked the sewers yesterday for a doorway, and it led to nowhere. Besides, even if Knossos is back, they would need supplies from an outside source. So there is absolutely a traitor." Lyra says with spite.
The room falls into silence as I lean back against the bed, the pain from my chest pulsing once again.
Shit... I really wish they had painkillers here.
Maybe I could ask if the herbalist had anything.
I mean, most of the stuff probably makes you high as a kite, but I was bored right now anyway.
And this investigation stuff... it makes my head hurt.
"So... what do we do about it?" Alise suddenly says.
"Nothing, for now. Only a Familia would have enough power to be the culprit, and Mother, Loki and Ganesha have all promised to look into it in the upcoming Denatus. Speaking of... congratulations on becoming the third level 7 in the world, Sirius." Lyra says looking back at me.
"Thanks. Though... I don't really feel like it right now." I say with a chuckle.
"Well, yes. But all things considered, you fought hard. But Sirius... do you want to-"
"I'm actually feeling quite hungry right now." I say, cutting off Alise.
Seeing the guilt and worry on her face, I knew what she was talking about, but I just... couldn't deal with that right now.
To talk about that kid... I needed to go to the dungeon first and hit something.
...Maybe more than a few somethings.
Either way, I wasn't ready to talk about it just yet.
Luckily, she seemed to understand as she nodded her head while patting my leg.
"Well, Sophie made a dish from her hometown, so I'll bring that up for you. It's like a quiche, but with a smoked hare. Quite delicious." She says.
I blow a kiss at her as thanks.
"And maybe... could you go to the herbalist-"
"No." Ryuu cuts me off.
"We are not letting you try something from there again." Ryuu says.
"But it hurts!" I whine.
"Deal with it. I do not want to hear you spouting nonsense all throughout the night again." She says with a glare.
Oh right... I did do that before...
Whoops.
"Haa... fine." I sulk.
"I'll go over to the Miach Familia and see if they have anything, but don't get your hopes up." Ryuu says before walking out of the room with Lyra following behind.
Alone with my thoughts, I go over the fight in detail, wondering if Vito's rambling would lead to any breakthroughs I might have not thought of, but I find nothing.
Huh... a traitor, eh?
Dammit, I felt like this was just the start of things too.
And knowing me... it wasn't just a simple bad feeling.
Haa...
But we had only been gone for a few months!
----- 3 Hours Later -----
It seems that news of my awakening had spread to the city, or at least, those who were close to me, as I had woken up from my nap to the sight of my two disciples.
"Hey, you two? A pretty sorry sight I'm in, eh?" I say with a smile.
But my attempts to lighten the mood seemed to be in vain as the two were still wearing frowns radiating worry.
"Don't look so sad. I'm alright now, and although I'm not allowed to move, I got my two wives taking care of me all the time. So it's really a big win."
That seems to do the trick, as the corner of Ais' lips seems to curl up a bit.
But for some reason, while she didn't look sad anymore, Lefiya's eyes twitched at my words.
Did I... do something wrong?
"I'm glad you're feeling better, teacher. I... didn't like seeing you like that." Ais says sadly.
I was happy that she was feeling such concern for me, and also proud that she could now show it so easily.
"Yeah... it was pretty shit. But don't worry, I don't think that will happen again. I mean... while I may look like this, I'm Orario's newest level 7, after all." I say with a smirk.
Both of their eyes widen into saucers at the news.
"T-That's... amazing, teacher!" Lefiya exclaims.
"Mmm!" Ais agrees, nodding her head excitedly.
But I could also spot the blonde's clenched fist.
I wonder... was it jealousy?
Or was it some form of excitement?
Expectation?
I don't know.
"Anyway, I guess this is as good a time as any, but it's about time our training came to an end." I say.
Both of their faces turn crestfallen.
"Don't wear such sad looks. You've both come pretty far and honestly, there's not much else I can teach you. I mean, you both can definitely get better, but you can do that through individual training rather than instruction." I add.
Lefiya's magic... Ais' swordsmanship... while they weren't perfect, they had both seen what levels they should aim for, and I had taught them how to reach said levels.
So now, it was only a matter of time and practice.
"And hey, if you're ever stuck, or want to spar or something, you're always welcome to visit." I say with a shrug.
They still both seem a little saddened, but this was expected.
Me being their teacher... it was never a permanent thing, and they had already grown their skills by so much, especially in this past year.
At this point, what they needed was combat experience and practice with using their techniques, all things they could do with their Familia in the dungeon.
And they knew that, so there was no begging.
Only resigned pouts.
"T-Then... this is even more important to give you now." Lefiya says before taking something out of her pocket.
Holding the object that looked like a stick wrapped in cloth, Lefiya pressed it to her chest with her eyes closed, before her cheeks sprouted into a blush, at which point she hastily held it out to me.
"H-Here you go!" She stutters.
...What a weird girl.
Taking the object, I slowly unwrap it, revealing a sleek, dark red rod with a small purple gem at the base, the handle carved to fit my hand.
It was a wand.
And while I didn't have any experience with these things, from what I could tell just by holding it, it was of damn good quality.
"I-It's from both of us! As a way to repay you for... everything. E-Even Riveria helped make it as thanks, so it's a good wand! Don't break it... please." She says.
"I see... thank you, you two." I say.
I knew they had been going into the dungeon a lot lately, but I thought that was due to them wanting to train, not... this.
But what a pleasant surprise.
While I had asked for a whip, they seemed to have gone with their own choice of weapon.
Hmm... I've never used a weapon that wasn't made for melee combat before, so I'll have to get used to it.
"And? With such a finely crafted weapon, I'm assuming it has a name?" I ask.
"-lit Oath..." Lefiya mutters under her breath.
"What?" I ask.
"M-Moonlit Oath is the name!" She says again, her cheeks burning red.
Come on, Lefiya.
It wasn't that bad of a name.
Not enough to be embarrassed about it like a few aliases I had seen out there.
Wait... Moonlit Oath...
Ah, well... for an Elf, I could see why it was embarrassing.
"I see... I promise to use it well. Now shouldn't you two head back home? I heard that Finn was preparing for a big expedition soon, so I imagine he's scrambling for funds." I say with a chuckle.
That Pallum was even more frugal than me, at least in some respects.
In fact, Lyra and Lili were like that too... I guess that's just a race trait of theirs?
As they bid their farewells... well, if 'Mmm, bye' constituted a farewell, that is... I was left on my own once again.
I wonder... with the returning threat of Evilus... and the diminishing barrier sealing the Black Dragon... what did the future hold in store?
Nothing bad, I hope.