~Chapter 10~
Ethan withdrew the sword he had pointed at Luce and suddenly took off running at incredible speed. I chased after him as he quickly disappeared from sight. Then Ibel approached me.
“Miss, I will accompany you. Please do not stray from my side.”
“Yes…!”
I tightly held onto Ibel’s arm. Even if he hadn’t said it, I had no intention of leaving his side.
“Ah, but don’t get too close… I need to be ready to swing my sword, you see.”
“Oh. Yes. Sorry!”
So, I started walking alongside Ibel, keeping a step’s distance. Rail and Betton had already chased after Ethan. Glancing back, I saw Luce following at an unhurried pace, completely relaxed.
Even I, watching, felt my tension ease because of his calm demeanor.
“Ahhh!!”
“Ahhh!!”
As we entered the village, screams grew louder. A fear I couldn’t understand rose within me.
But after a short while, the screams stopped—
—and were replaced by the howling of dogs.
When we reached the village center, what greeted us were people collapsed with blood flowing from their arms and legs.
“Miss!”
Forgetting Ibel’s instruction to stay close, I rushed to the injured. Their wounds looked deep, as if bitten by dogs.
I carefully took a vial of medicine from my bag and tilted it over their wounds. The injured groaned louder.
I firmly held down one struggling arm.
“Hold on just a little longer. I can help prevent infection from the wounds.”
“Ugh… ugh…”
The trembling person soon lost consciousness and relaxed their body. I quickly treated the other wounded nearby and urgently called out to Luce.
“Luce! Please take a look at these people!”
Luce, who had been standing with arms crossed, approached with a hint of annoyance. He seemed oddly peaceful amidst this urgent scene.
“You want to use me without a contract?”
“Healing magic is profitable, isn’t it? Please use it!”
“If it were any other mage, it would be impossible.”
Muttering, Luce placed his hands near the wounds. After a moment, a violet light, the same color as his eyes, shone from his hands.
As the light was absorbed by the wounds—
“…What?”
Nothing happened.
The light was just flashy; the wounds neither healed nor did the bleeding stop.
“What? Can you really use healing magic?!”
Luce silently strode toward me. Without realizing, I raised my hands to cover my head, but he grabbed my hand.
“What’s this?”
He held my hand, which had small scratches from checking the wounded.
“Watch.”
The violet light from Luce’s hand seeped into the scratches, and the skin instantly healed as if it had never been injured. His healing magic worked on me.
“Then why don’t those people heal?”
“There is only one reason healing magic won’t work: divine power is involved.”
“Divine power?”
Luce nodded.
“Magic power and divine power cannot mix. Therefore, neither can intervene in the other’s influence.”
At that moment, someone covered in blood burst out from an alley ahead.
“Miss Rinnegrim! Please come this way!”
It was Rail, who had followed Ethan. I hurried to him and saw no wounds on him.
Luce and I headed toward the blood-stained alley. The entire alley was soaked red—but thankfully, it wasn’t their blood; it was from the attacking dogs.
More than twenty dogs lay on the ground, wounded in their legs.
Among the fallen dogs stood Ethan, perfectly composed despite the blood-drenched alley. His uniform bore not a drop of blood.
He brushed off his sword and approached me.
“Since these are the divine beast’s followers, I spared them. Do you have any idea why these dogs have gone mad?”
“I’m not sure. We’ll need to examine them.”
I approached the nearest dog, wounded by a sword cut on its leg. It glared at me with fierce eyes.
But something was odd about the dog’s eyes. All the dogs had red eyes, but it wasn’t just the iris—it was a glowing red light from within.
“This… doesn’t seem like a disease.”
I considered rabies but doubted so many dogs would simultaneously catch it. Rabies is highly lethal and rapidly fatal, making widespread infection in such a short time unlikely.
Instead of disease, I brought up Luce’s theory about divine power.
“Luce said divine power might be involved.”
“Divine power…”
“Yes. Luce used healing magic on people bitten by dogs, but it had no effect. He said magic and divine power don’t mix, which seems to be the reason.”
Ethan muttered with a troubled expression.
“Something must have happened to the Rudel clan.”
“Yes. They’ve let their followers attack the village multiple times; something is definitely wrong.”
“I hoped to avoid this, but we’ll have to visit the Rudel clan’s home. They need to face the current situation.”
“Yes. The Rudel clan supposedly lives in the western forest, but where exactly—”
Before I could ask, a wounded dog suddenly charged at me at tremendous speed. Shocked, I closed my eyes without thinking to dodge, and Ethan was the last thing I saw charging toward me.
Darkness came, and terrifying sounds pierced my ears.
Crunch!
The chilling sound of teeth piercing flesh. Yet no pain came from anywhere on my body. I slowly opened my eyes.
Instead of the fierce dog’s eyes, I met Luce’s beautiful violet gaze, staring intently at me.
“If you were bitten, why are you closing your eyes?”
“W-What? Ah!!”
Looking down, I saw the dog latched onto Luce’s arm, snarling as if ready to bite through. Saliva dripped down his wrist.
“L-Luce! Your a-arm!!”
“I told you, didn’t I?”
“What? That’s not the issue! What about your arm?!”
While I panicked, Luce casually brushed off his arm and roughly pushed the dog away with his long leg.
“Magic and divine power don’t mix.”
He rolled up his robe sleeve to reveal his wrist—no blood, no wounds, perfectly intact.
“It’s true divine power is involved with these dogs. They couldn’t harm my magic-shielded arm. Strange… Spirits are chosen by divine beasts and gain magic, but can’t use divine power. How are these dogs using divine power?”
My heart still pounded, but Luce remained calm.
“As you said, something has happened to the wolves.”
“…We must enter the Rudel clan’s forest.”
Ethan rubbed the deep crease between his brows.
“Lady Rinnegrim, are you alright? I allowed an attack by being careless. My apologies.”
I snapped back to reality and lifted Luce’s sleeve to check his arm.
Though startled, he didn’t stop me. I needed to see the clean arm with my own eyes to feel assured.
“What are you doing—”
“Ahhh! Are you really okay?! You’re not hurt?!”
My nose stung. Tears welled up and spilled. Ethan, Ibel, and even Luce, whose wrist I held, seemed startled and speechless at my sudden tears.
“Why did you interfere?! You said if bitten by those dogs, no magic could heal!”
“Magic and divine power cancel each other out…”
Luce repeated like a parrot. He must find me ridiculous. Regardless, I touched his pale wrist and cried harder.
“Ahhh! Thank you!! If it weren’t for you, I might’ve died! Magic can’t even heal bites from those dogs!!”
The dog had targeted my neck. If it bit the size of a thumb’s tooth, I would’ve bled out.
While sobbing, I heard a dry chuckle.
Looking up, Luce smiled at me incredulously.
“You owe me. I’ll put it on your tab.”
I nodded fervently. As long as I’m alive, I’ll pay my debts.
“Miss Rinnegrim, I’m sorry. I was nearby but failed to protect you…”
Rail bowed apologetically.
I shook my head, signaling I was okay. But fear and sorrow choked my voice.
“I’m o-okay… sniff, aah, hiccup.”
“You don’t seem okay! I’m sorry! I’ll try harder!”
I wanted to say I was fine! But I only nodded weakly.
“The wounded and the dogs will be dealt with when we meet the Rudel clan. Their divine power includes healing. If magic can’t heal, divine power will.”
Ethan took a breath and said to Luce:
“So, please lead us to the Rudel clan’s home?”
“No way.”
Luce gave a firm refusal, as if not worth considering.
“My business here is done. Continuing is a waste of time. I want to leave with my employer.”
“Then if Lady Rinnegrim wants to come with us, will you cooperate?”
Luce looked intently at me without breaking eye contact.
“If our employer desires it, I can’t refuse.”
I had no idea why he looked at me like that.
Everyone’s attention was on me, waiting for my answer.
“Lady Rinnegrim, I can’t force you. I can’t guarantee a repeat of what happened. Still, if you come with us, I will protect you.”
Ethan extended his hand and wiped the dog’s blood from my cheek.
I parted my lips to speak.
“I…”
