Medical Treatment

We all ran from the Dryad as fast as we could.

It watched us and slowly gave chase.

Its form collapsed, the black liquid surging forward in waves.

The sight seemed to defy the very laws of nature.

Just looking at it filled me with dread.

Perhaps that was because it had once been a spirit.

The one who fell behind the most was Evalin.

She apparently didn't have enough mana left to fly, and was stumbling along unsteadily.

At that pace, she'd definitely be caught.

Maybe it wasn't my place to think that while being carried on someone's back, though…

"Alexia, cover us."

"I know!"

Alexia launched water and earth magic at the Dryad.

The massive volume of water was instantly drained by the surrounding Mosquito Monsters, but the earth magic proved reasonably effective.

It managed to stop the thing in its tracks for the few seconds before the earth rotted away to nothing.

She probably avoided fire magic because she'd seen it get blocked earlier.

"How many years has it been since I last ran?"

"This isn't the time for that! We need to get outside the barrier!"

"True enough."

Should I be impressed that the elf could remain so calm even now?

I glanced back to confirm the earth wall crumbling apart.

We'd gained some distance, but the thing was chasing us again.

It seemed agitated.

The liquid and the Mosquito Monsters were moving wildly.

Thrashing about in a frenzy of raw emotion, you might say.

"So this is how terrifying it is to make an enemy of a spirit…"

"This kind of thing almost never happens, though. What could have caused it?"

Elza responded to my murmur.

Even Elza didn't know everything, it seemed.

"When a spirit that governs a forest's prosperity inverts, the forest rots and dies. If it breaks through the barrier, it'll rampage until its mana runs out and then perish. However, if there are living creatures nearby to serve as fuel, that time gets extended."

"You mean it would attack nearby towns and villages… even cities!?"

"That's right. Humans, livestock, monsters - it would consume them all. The entire surrounding area would literally become a land of death."

"If the kingdom suffered that kind of damage in its current state, it would be the end of the nation!"

This was no joke.

We'd struggled through problem after problem, and I refused to let it all end in some forest we'd come to on what was supposed to be a simple job.

And while the Royal Capital and Kassad were far from here, there were plenty of villages along the way.

In the worst case, it could devour the entire kingdom.

The shudder that ran through me - was it from how awful I felt, or from imagining that worst-case scenario?

But for now, escaping came first.

If it caught us, we'd die for certain.

Azu was pulling Orleans by the hand, and Finn had run ahead to check for obstacles in our path.

We should be able to see the barrier any moment now, but…

It had closed the gap considerably.

"I'm out of mana. This is the last time I can slow it down!"

Alexia conjured the biggest earthen wall yet with her magic.

It seemed she'd run dry too.

Earth magic was supposed to have low mana cost, but… right, the ground was too rotted to draw from, so she couldn't use it as a base.

That must have driven up her consumption.

The black liquid enveloped the earthen wall, climbing over it.

After briefly damming the flow, the wall crumbled and vanished.

"There! I can see it!"

The barrier's edge came into view.

Evalin manipulated the entrance to open it.

The forest spirit spread wide as if to engulf our entire group and lunged.

Finn, Azu, and Orleans got out first.

Then they reached back and pulled Alexia and Elza through.

We tumbled out of the barrier.

Since I was being carried, I tumbled along too. Couldn't be helped.

Now only Evalin remained.

Elza got up and extended her hand.

Just when the black liquid was about to reach Evalin with only inches to spare -

Puppe body-checked the liquid, physically blocking it.

Evalin made it outside the barrier.

Puppe's enormous puppet body possessed tremendous strength, and she pushed back the black liquid along with the forest spirit.

But the parts that touched the liquid began to rot, and eventually her entire body was consumed. All we could do was watch from outside the barrier.

No matter how strong you were, you could never overpower a forest spirit through brute force alone.

It was obvious that some other method was needed.

But right now, my mind just wouldn't work.

Perhaps from the tension, the consciousness I'd been clinging to snapped like a thread.

"Master!?"

Azu's voice echoed in my ears.

And then I blacked out.

I woke up several hours later.

Orleans was at my side, tending to me.

"Sir… I'm glad you're awake. Everyone was worried about you."

"Where are the others? Ugh…"

"Please don't push yourself. Everyone went to look for medicinal herbs for you. They should be back soon. I have the knowledge but not the ability to search on my own, so I stayed to look after you."

The moment I tried to sit up, my strength gave out and my head dropped back to the pillow.

This was the cottage, then.

It seemed they'd put me in Evalin's bed.

I was drenched in sweat. And shivering with cold.

I could barely muster any strength. My throat was parched, too.

"Water, please."

"Here you are."

I was given water from a pitcher.

The moisture soothing my dry throat felt like coming back to life.

But at the same time, I became acutely aware of how terrible I felt.

Like I'd come down with a severe cold.

A headache was setting in too.

Orleans wiped my sweat with a towel, but fresh sweat immediately replaced it.

I could feel my stamina draining with each passing moment.

This… might be bad.

"You're awake?"

Finn was the first one back.

The moment she saw my face, a flicker of alarm crossed hers.

"I gathered some herbs that should help with your symptoms and mixed them together, but… can you move your mouth?"

"Sorry. I can talk, but I can't put any strength into it."

"I see. No mortar either, so…"

Finn unceremoniously began eating the herbs she'd gathered.

She was apparently crushing them up in her mouth.

Then she pressed her lips to mine.

The suddenness of it flustered me.

Along with her saliva came the bitter taste of herbs.

I didn't resist and swallowed what she'd passed to me.

"This is medical treatment. Don't get the wrong idea."

Finn wiped her mouth, then snatched the water pitcher from Orleans and pressed the spout to my lips.

She didn't let go until every drop was gone.