Chapter 259 – Operation… Failed?!

“Big Sis Lyraaaa!! Sorry I fell asleep while waiting for you! How are you feeling? How was the dragon’s continent?!”

The next morning, during breakfast time, I was still sleepy when Ein’s ‘attack’ via his relentless questions and a warm welcome hug was launched. I had expected this, so I wasn’t surprised at all. 

He was so cute! I saw him more like my younger brother.

Speaking of younger brother, I miss Freyr and Freyja… How are they doing?

…Hopefully our endeavor will bear fruit that will help us resolve this issue and return happily!

“Good morning,” Maiara greeted me at the breakfast table.

I was taken aback a little bit because now, Maiara no longer wore clothing that covered her skin that had the markings due to her condition. 

Ein didn’t seem surprised at all, so I assume she revealed it before. 

“Good morning, Maiara-san, how are you feeling?” I returned her greeting.

“I’m not sure, to be honest… This is the life I’ve known all this time, for I have little to no recollection of my life before this. I do look forward to being able to wear more clothes, but at the same time, I am nervous? …Ah, apologies, after all the trouble you and Kuu-san went through to get the herbs for me…”

“It’s alright! I think I understand… Changes are nerve-wrecking. But I hope your life will be better than before!” I tried to cheer Maiara-san up. 

“And magic! Don’t you want to use magic?” I asked Maiara. 

Elves are creatures that boast their high magic capability. Without relying on magic, I wonder if Maiara-san has been subjected to bullying, for being different? 

Maiara finally chuckled, ‘Indeed, I hope I can use magic, be more powerful, so I can protect the prince and serve the royal family better.”

“Breakfast’s ready!” 

It was at that time that Eltharion arrived from the kitchen, bringing us a humble yet appetizing meal. 

“Wait, let me get Kuu-chan–” Noticing that Carbuncle wasn’t there yet, I was about to go and get her when…

“Let her sleep some more. She already told me that she’d hibernate,” Eltharion quickly stopped me.

“Uhm… Alright, then,” I nodded and began having breakfast with the divine doctor, Eltharion, Minny the Pooch, Ein, and Maiara. 

There was still half of my meal when Eltharion stood up, having finished eating his breakfast.

“You guys should take your time. I’ll be going to my study to concoct the medicine for Maiara-sama. Maiara-sama, please proceed to do the waterfall meditation after your breakfast. Then, go and refresh yourself. Only then you can go to my examination room, and we will begin your treatment,” Eltharion announced.

“Is there something we can do to help?” I asked.

Eltharion replied with a smile, “You should get more rest, Lyra-san. It’s been a tough journey, I reckon.”

Well, I do feel fatigued, but I am too nervous because I want to know if this can help Maiara-san or not!

And if it turns out to be effective, will Eltharion finally tell me what he knows about Oriel, Celeste’s missing mother? 

But what if the information turns out to be… that she’s passed away? 

My mind’s racing too much, I don’t think I can rest my mind…

“Ein, you can help me,” Eltharion switched to Ein and said more casually.

“Roger, Doc!” Ein also replied casually to Eltharion.

Huh? What happened while I was away? Why do they look like they’re on very good terms?

More importantly–

“Ein, will you let me help as well?” I quickly asked.

“Big Sis Lyra, you should sleep some more! Leave this to me, I’ve been assisting Eltharion for a while!” Ein quickly refused my request.

“Uuhh… But I don’t think I can sleep…”

“At least rest your body, Big Sis! What if we need you later and you’re too tired to be helpful?” Ein suddenly asked.

“…” True. I can’t refute his words…

Though I was still unsure if any of my help would be needed later on, I decided to take their insistence and rest after my breakfast. 

My and Carbuncle’s roles were to fetch the Thunder Miracle Herbs. We had given the herbs to the doctor by the time we arrived. The doctor said that it was perfect, so I guess our role really ended back then. 

Now, I just need to wait and speculate about the results…

Mmm…

The bed’s so warm…

My mind was still racing, but I guess fatigue had gotten to me…

My eyelids felt so heavy…

Maybe I can… sleep for a while…

***

“Lyr… Lyr… wake up!” 

The next moment, I woke up to Carbuncle shaking me, trying to wake me up.

“W-what time is it? How is Maiara-san’s treatment?” That was the first thing I asked.

After all, it felt like I had fallen asleep for quite some time!

“…It… Let’s just go there,” Carbuncle said, her expression was really puzzling for me to read. 

Is there a problem with it? Is there a problem with the herb we fetched for her?!

I didn’t have time to be drowsy. I leapt out of the bed and followed Carbuncle.

We entered what seemed to be Eltharion’s only examination and treatment room.

Inside, I saw Ein standing, looking at the patient’s bed with a serious expression. On the patient’s bad, lay the unconscious Maiara, whose markings emitted a mysterious glow. 

Meanwhile, Doctor Eltharion was standing right next to his desk, a few books and notes and what seemed to be the remaining herbs, and some alchemy tubes used to process the medicine were there. 

“Are we too hasty? But it’s been years… And she… How come…,” Eltharion mumbled something in frustration.

“D-Doctor… has the treatment started? How is it going?” I asked, wanting to grasp the situation more clearly.

At this time, Fenrir manifested right next to me, as if wanting to understand the situation better.

“Lyra-san… Yes. I have administered the medicine to the patient. The medicine’s processed just fine. But…”

“But…?” I asked.

“It’s been an hour since her markings glowed. And she’s been unresponsive ever since…,” Ein explained.

“What? Why? Do we need more herbs? What could have gone wrong?” I asked, panicking.

“……,” Eltharion then heaved a deep sigh, before he told us to sit down.

We quickly took the chairs in the room, arranged them, and sat facing the divine doctor.

If this treatment fails… at least… will it endanger her life?

I wanted to ask that question, but I didn’t dare to. 

“I miscalculated it…,” Eltharion said with a very grave tone.

“W-what is it, Doctor? Is there something we can do…?” I asked.

“…First, let me explain the nature of Maiara-sama’s condition to you,” Eltharion then began explaining.

“During that deadly fire incident, her condition was dire. Someone clearly attacked her with the intention of killing her, trying to fracture her magical core with a very malicious curse. An ancient curse that was forbidden and seemed to have been forgotten by the time… But thankfully, it stopped before it could consume her life fully.”

“However, at that time, I didn’t have the means to cure her completely. So, in an attempt to save her life, I managed to halt the curse, leaving the horrendous markings and her inability to use magic. In the process, her memories might have been sealed as well.”

“Her memories… why?” I asked.

I thought the amnesia was due to her curse, or the damage she sustained. But the memory was sealed alongside with the halt of her curse?

“…There are many cases of patients with conditions not so bad, yet due to their despair and no will to live, they gave up on life. …During that fire incident… Many lost their lives, tragically. I have seen patients that could recover, who decided to give up on life, because they had lost their loved ones during that incident. While some worked hard to overcome their dire condition and managed to recover… I guess Maiara-sama fell into the former group. I thought that after some time, she would surely recover well enough to try the treatment, both in body and mind. But… I suppose I was wrong. She still needs more time,” Eltharion sighed.

“So, in other words…,” Carbuncle seemed to have difficulty grasping the situation.

“Curing her means undoing the curse. Undoing the curse will not only restore her magic core and body to their original state, but also her mind and memories. Correct?” Fenrir asked.

“Yes. And the treatment should have worked. But I guess she refused to acknowledge what happened,” Eltharion said.

“……” 

“I was told that they built a memorial for the ones they lost due to that fire incident. There were many names written in it… I hope we won’t have to add another name to that memorial…,” Ein muttered.

“…”

I am sure the doctor also thought of the same thing. 

That he would save more lives, no matter who they are. 

Moreover, being the doctor so trusted by the royal family must mean that he knew most of the people who were involved in the tragedy. And so, he wanted to save everyone that he could save. 

But now, Maiara…

“What do we do now? Will she be alright?” I asked, worried for her life.

“We can only wait and see… I don’t know how long it will take. And the outcome is one of these two: either she finally wakes up and recovers, or… she will forever be in this state, before finally passing away…,” Eltharion said.

The silence after that lingered like a soft fog after the rain.

We could only hear Maiara’s breathing. It was steady. Small, and slow. …exactly like a comatose person.

I looked at her and wondered.

What happened during the fire incident?

Why did you grieve this much? 

Who did you lose?

My mind started to imagine all sorts of possibilities.

Since she told me that she had grown up in the royal castle all her life, could it be that her family was a faithful vassal family to the royal family, and that she lost her family in that fire incident? 

What about the one she served? Who did she serve before she was assigned to Prince Manasye? 

My mind started to have wild guesses… that Maiara used to serve Oriel, and when Oriel was lost in the fire incident… 

I shook my head. 

Did she fail to protect the one she needed to protect? Is that also why she didn’t want to face reality?

But… it wasn’t her fault at all…

If not knowing what happened before… if forgetting old, painful memories could help her live… should things stay that way? 

Should we have given up on undoing the curse, and let her life a blissful life of ignorance?

…I knew I wanted to help her since Eltharion said that he would tell me all he knew about Oriel if we could help her, but…

We tried to, but if the help turned out to be pushing her to a worse situation, then wouldn’t it be better for us to not proceed with it?

Eltharion heaved yet another long sigh and talked, “Well… You guys have helped me try out this treatment. The result is beyond your control. I should fulfill my promise and tell you what you want to know.”

“…!” I quickly turned to look at the divine doctor.

“Oriel-sama is–”

“Wait, Doctor,” I interrupted the doctor’s words.

I know…

I know that I should just listen and not interrupt. After all, my main objective is to find out what happened with Oriel, and solve the situation with my brother and my friends!

But…

But why don’t I like it?

It seemed as if Eltharion had given up on Maiara, so he wanted to just finish the business he has with me.

Will I be able to walk away from Maiara after getting the information I need?

Of course not!!

I am not that kind of person!! 

I can’t walk away after getting the information I need, leaving Maiara still in comatose, and then leaving Manasye heartbroken due to losing his beloved nanny!

[I am glad you think that way.]

Fenrir’s voice resounded in my mind.

I opened my eyes and looked at Fenrir.

Fenrir…

[If you are heartless enough to get the information from Eltharion, then walking away from Maiara’s situation, I would be questioning myself if I have picked the right partner or not.]

I… The thoughts crossed my mind several times, to be honest. I can just say that we have tried our best, so we should get our information, and then… solve our situation and leave Maiara. But… But I can’t do that…

[Many people change during a dire situation. They justify their actions, believing that they are suffering as well, so it can’t be helped that others suffer. But I am glad you haven’t changed.]

Is there something we can do, Fenrir?

“What’s the matter, Lyra-san? I mean, you helped me get the herbs. I will give you the information you wanted,” Eltharion asked again after I left him hanging in silence.

“But… The deal is that you tell us the information in exchange of us helping with Maiara-san’s condition. This situation… I don’t think I can say that we have helped her…,” I said carefully, word per word.

Eltharion’s eyes widened in disbelief. 

I’m sure he wouldn’t believe what he just heard. He was about to give me the information we were after, but I was the one who told him that we haven’t fulfilled our share of the deal.

Really… 

[Yes, we can. Remember? If it’s the matter of mind and heart, my power can play a part in it. You can break someone’s mind or help restore it.]

At first, I didn’t really think much of Fenrir’s power, for I only wanted to have him as my Familiar, my companion. But now that I think of it… isn’t his power unique and strong?! 

I shuddered thinking of Fenrir’s words when he said that he decided to live in seclusion, lest he partnered up with someone who’d use his power for bad deeds.

Now I kind of understand his concerns…

But.

Now that the power’s in my hands…

And we have encountered such situations.

I couldn’t help but think that it was all fated to be.

Is this perhaps the reason why god forced me to reincarnate?

“Doctor. Let me and Fenrir try something first…,” I took a deep breath before making that statement.

Once this sentence leaves my mouth, there’s no going back.

As it should be. 

Maiara-san, I can’t.

I can’t sacrifice you for my own gain.

I will try to save you, so will you please try as well?

At the very least, for the sake of the little prince who treasures you, and whom you treasure…