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Indomitable Pride and the Clash of Stealth Blades – Part 03

It was Count Dred’s daughter who had suggested trying Phantom Butterfly. Given their social standings, Kamori’s son could never have refused her. From the young lady’s perspective, it wasn’t so much that she liked Kamori’s son but that she had noticed a handsome young man who frequented their place and thought, “Why not have a little fun?”

If the addiction to the Phantom Butterfly hadn’t been so severe, and if the drug itself wasn’t gnawing at her body, it might not have been a problem.

“…”

Paula had heard the details from Kamori’s maids. Feeling helpless, she entered the building through the back door.

They advanced down a dim corridor, illuminated only by very few magic lamps. Upon reaching the entrance hall, they were led to the area housing the dining room and kitchen.

“Here we are.”

“…The basement?”

“What about it?”

“I-It’s nothing.”

A door next to the kitchen opened, revealing a staircase leading underground. As they descended the stairs, the air became stagnant, as if no fresh air circulated inside.

“Be careful, Your Eminence,” Kamori warned, and Paula nodded slightly.

Kamori was drenched in sweat. Entering a noble’s mansion was stressful enough, and now they were being led to somewhere disquieting. Paula wondered if it was safe to be here.

Lord Hikaru…

Nevertheless, her faith in the young boy was as unwavering as her faith in the gods of this world. She pressed on.

The young butler unlocked a thick door in the basement.

“Aaaaahh! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts so much!”

The sound of a woman’s screams echoed. It was clear that the cries came from the mansion’s young lady.

They’re keeping her in the basement so no one could hear her screams.

Originally a food storage area, the basement was spacious and filled with bags of grains, dried meat, and barrels of wine. The table had been pushed aside, making space for a bed.

Lying on the bed was a girl with disheveled blue hair, roughly the same age as Paula, perhaps even younger. She was tied up with ropes, her arms and legs spread wide. The areas where the ropes had touched her skin were covered in blood. She must have struggled violently. Two maids were attending to her, but both looked exhausted, tears in their eyes.

“The Wandering Saint is here. Please leave this to us and wait outside the door.”

As the young butler appeared, the maids visibly relaxed and quickly made their exit.

“Do it,” the butler said arrogantly.

“Please help her, Your Eminence,” said Kamori, prostrating himself while rubbing his hands.

Paula nodded and walked to the girl’s bedside, beginning her incantation.

“O’ God who art in heaven, in your name I ask for a miracle. In my right hand is the gift of life, in my left the blessing of death. Bless us who live in this world. My mana I offer…”

Golden light gathered in her right hand, but it didn’t stop there.

“O’ God who art in heaven, I offer this mana to cleanse the impurity in this body, bestowed from the heavens. With the pure essence of the grasslands’ dew, the mountains’ mist, the deep sea’s waters, and the hot springs from the earth’s core, have mercy on this humble flesh.”

Silver light gathered in Paula’s left hand.

“Kamori, it appears to me that two spells are activating simultaneously.”

“Yes, that’s correct. To alleviate the severe addiction symptoms of the Phantom Butterfly, both healing and detoxification spells need to be used simultaneously, along with other necessary magic.”

“I’ve never heard of this! Using two spells simultaneously is—”

“Please be quiet. We don’t want to disturb the Saint’s concentration.”

Paula was sweating behind her mask. Maintaining one spell while chanting another was like writing two different sentences with your right hand and left hand at the same time.

When trying to use magic to replenish the patient’s strength, the poison would react adversely. Likewise, when attempting to cast detoxification magic, their lack of strength made them succumb to the toxin. To overcome this frustrating teeter-totter game, Paula had devised a rare and unique form of using magic called Dual Casting. Only a handful of practitioners were skilled in this art.

“Uwaaaaah!”

Paula got onto the bed and pressed both her hands against the girl’s body. A strong wind blew around the point of contact, flapping Paula’s clothes and the girl’s hair, while the light emitted forced the butler and Kamori to shut their eyes.

“The next spell…”

Paula quickly began the incantation for Mana Stabilization. If Hikaru were nearby, he would have seen the girl’s chaotic mana stimulating her flesh from within, causing excruciating pain.

Kamori’s son was experiencing symptoms of physical exhaustion, while the girl was suffering from pain. Both were a result of the turbulent mana in their bodies.

“Aaaaaaahhhh… A-Ah…”

After Paula finished using the Mana Stabilization spell, the pain subsided, and light returned to the woman’s eyes.

“It… doesn’t hurt… It’s like a fog has lifted. Huh? I can’t move my hands.”

“Milady!” cried the butler. “Maids! Maids, come quick!”

The heavy iron door swung open as the maids rushed in, crying, “Young Miss!”

“Kamori, stay here! I’ll go report to His Grace.”

“O-Okay!”

As the butler rushed out, the maids began untying the ropes binding the young girl. Though still weak, she managed to sit up and drink the water offered to her, all thanks to Paula’s magic. Paula’s Healing Magic was at level 8, far surpassing even the best Healer in the country, who was at level 6.

The woman’s arms, though covered in dried blood and remnants of peeled skin, had fully healed. Gently rubbing her wrists, the girl looked at Paula with sharp eyes.

“Are you the one who healed me?”

Paula gave a small nod.

“Hmm… In that case, I will hire you. I’ll tell my father about it, so you should be grateful.”

Paula was at a loss for words. She glanced at Kamori, only to find him hanging his head and quivering, as he always did in these types of situations.

Paula sensed that things had taken a complicated turn.

---

Hikaru was on the roof of Count Dred’s mansion, but unfortunately, someone had beaten him there. It was Kutsuwa.

Despite Hikaru being perfectly concealed with his Stealth, the man turned and said, “Silver Face, huh?”

Kutsuwa wasn’t looking at Hikaru’s direction, but he had sensed Hikaru’s arrival. Although unconfirmed, he likely had a high-level Instinct.

He didn’t notice my approach last time. Maybe he switched his Blessing or something.

Hikaru wasn’t sure exactly what kind of Blessing he possessed, but a spy should have a Blessing related to Stealth. He wondered if he had switched it to an Instinct type instead.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at Kamori’s place?”

Hikaru moved to Kutsuwa’s line of sight before deactivating his Stealth.

“And you investigated the Kamori family despite my warning.”

“I can’t say.”

“You must have monitored Kamori’s mansion and followed the carriage here.”

His guess was wrong, but Hikaru didn’t bother pointing it out.

“I’m here to get Flower Face back.”

“Are you out of your mind? Even if you have exceptional abilities, escaping with a person is very difficult. And the security here has been tightened since last night.”

Impressive, Hikaru thought.

When he snuck into Count Dred’s residence last night, he had encountered Kutsuwa and caused a commotion. However, the number of guards patrolling outside had not changed, at least from an observer from the outside.

The average person would think that they either didn’t manage to reinforce the security in time, or they decided there wouldn’t be another attack. But he saw through it.

Hikaru’s Mana Detection allowed him to ascertain the personnel inside the mansion. Although the number of soldiers remained mostly the same, the number of people with magical abilities had increased significantly. Additionally, the magic traps installed on the windows and doors had doubled.

Either it’s a conclusion they arrived at after watching the place during the day, or they have another source of information.

However, Hikaru’s plans remained the same.