Throw you into the flames?
Lucius asked worriedly.
Without wasting a second, Melvis began gathering wood.
She collected enough to make a pile.
— Wait, you’re actually going to listen to what she said?
— Yes.
If that’s what she asked us to do, then it must be the right thing to do.
— Are you crazy?
We’re not going to throw an injured person into a fire, especially not someone who’s unconscious.
She’s completely delirious.
Maybe she’s still thinking about the moment when she cast her spell, and that’s why she said that.
Melvis paused.
— It’s Miss Emilya’s body.
No one knows how it works better than she does.
Besides, it’s a spell I’ve never seen her use before, so I have no choice but to obey her orders.
— Even you have never seen her use that spell?
Melvis slowly lowered her head and continued gathering wood in silence.
So there are things she keeps from even you?
Lucius thought.
He hesitated for a moment before starting to gather wood as well.
He thought the idea was completely absurd, but judging by what Melvis had said, she must have been right.
If even she was willing to follow such an absurd order, then she must have known what she was doing.
Once they had gathered enough wood, they built an open coffin.
Lucius walked away and went for a short walk, hoping everything would turn out all right.
Melvis removed Emilya’s clothes, otherwise they would burn.
She gently placed her in the coffin, hesitated for a moment, then set the flames alight with a spell.
She watched the fire for a moment.
When the flames began to reach Emilya’s body, tears started streaming down her face as she struggled to keep herself from screaming.
The longer the flames burned her body, the harder it became for her to hold back.
When she let out her first cry of pain, Lucius rushed back to where they were.
When he arrived, he couldn’t believe his eyes.
The flames were incredibly high.
He approached Melvis.
She was staring at the scene with a blank expression.
He couldn’t imagine the pain she must have been feeling.
He remained there, unable to look away.
After a while, the flames slowly began to die down.
Emilya’s hair returned to its normal color.
She opened her eyes and slowly got to her feet.
Melvis hurried over to her and covered her body.
He was astonished when he saw that there were no burns on Emilya’s body.
She was simply giving off smoke.
She looked at Lucius.
— What’s with that look?
she said with a slight smile.
The very next moment, she fainted.
Melvis had been slightly burned, but she paid no attention to it.
I’m glad she’s okay, Lucius thought.
— Are you going to stay there long?
Melvis asked.
He looked slightly panicked and quickly walked away.
Once he was far enough from them, he collapsed to the ground.
Oh yeah… I was so panicked that I forgot I was injured.
He stayed there for a while.
Melvis, meanwhile, wasn’t worried.
She remained by Emilya’s side, waiting for her to wake up.
Suddenly, she heard a noise coming from the bushes, followed by footsteps.
She immediately went on guard.
They were the count’s soldiers, who had come to retrieve them.
— We have come to retrieve the winners of the tournament.
Are they here?
one of the guards asked.
They looked behind Melvis and saw Emilya.
They asked her if she would come with them to the count’s castle.
At first, she was somewhat reluctant, but eventually agreed.
The guards then asked where the boy was.
She replied that she didn’t know and that he probably wasn’t far away.
The guards searched the surrounding area and found Lucius unconscious a little farther away.
They carried him with them, and everyone headed toward the count’s castle.
As they passed through the city, the crowd cheered for them.
However, they immediately became worried when they saw that both winners were unconscious.
Once they arrived at the count’s residence, he immediately summoned a priest to treat them both.
He was unable to completely heal Lucius’s wounds, as they were more serious than they appeared.
He then went to Emilya’s bedside.
— She simply needs to rest.
She has exhausted all of her magic, and it is slowly regenerating.
Within three days, she should wake up completely recovered, the old priest said.
When the priest left Emilya’s room, he went to the great hall, where the count served him some tea.
— So, how are they?
the count asked, somewhat worried.
— The young girl is fine.
However, the boy is in pretty bad shape.
I don’t know how he’s going to survive with injuries like these, he said as he drank his tea.
— You know I’m too old for this sort of thing.
You could have asked someone else, the priest replied.
— But no one is as skilled as you.
The young apprentices are still too inexperienced; they can barely heal a few scratches.
You’re the only one with enough experience to treat injuries like these, the count said.
The old priest sighed.
— Was all of this really worth it?
What will your daughter say if she finds out what you’ve done?
the priest asked, clearly disapproving of his actions.
— She’ll understand.
I’m doing this for her own good.
I don’t want something to happen to her like what happened to my wife, the count said with a dejected expression.
The two remained silent for a moment before they were interrupted.
Lucius had woken up, but he couldn’t stop moving around restlessly.
He kept asking where his friends were, and no one wanted to answer him.
The priest went to see him and calmed him down, telling him that they were fine and that they were in the room next door.
He immediately headed there.
When he arrived, he saw Melvis asleep at Emilya’s bedside.
He felt so relieved that he fainted again, having reopened his wounds by moving around so much.
A guard standing behind him caught him before he could collapse to the floor.
The priest sighed again.
— What are we going to do with a boy like this?
he said, shaking his head.
He turned toward the count with a disapproving look.
The count lowered his head and left.
For the next three days, the priest did everything he could to heal them.
After three days, Emilya finally opened her eyes.
It was late in the afternoon.
She looked around, confused about where she was.
Beside her, Melvis was sleeping soundly.
Emilya smiled when she saw her by her side.
She slowly got up.
Still dizzy, she stretched before walking toward the door.
When she opened it, she saw Lucius sleeping right behind it.
She was very surprised and crouched down to look at him.
She remained there for a moment, wondering why he was sleeping there.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes.
The two looked each other in the eyes.
A maid who had come to bring him a blanket dropped it when she saw them, then ran to tell the priest that Emilya was awake.
The two watched her go before bursting into laughter.
— Glad to see you’re alive, Emilya said.
— Glad you didn’t get too much of a tan, he replied.
Emilya sat beside him and looked at his wounds.
Some had healed, leaving scars behind, while others were still covered in bandages.
— Don’t worry.
I’ve had worse injuries than this, and I’m still alive.
— Then you’re either incredibly lucky or completely reckless.
She remained silent for a moment before asking him what had happened while she was unconscious.
He told her what he remembered, but he didn’t really know what had happened either, since he had fainted and woken up in the room next door the room belonging to the person most capable of answering all his questions.
He paused before asking her a question.
— What was that?
— What are you talking about?
— Why, back in the forest, did you tell us to throw you into the flames?
You know, I was against the idea, but your servant told me it was the right thing to do, since you know your own body better than any of us.
But did you really have to go to such an extreme?
She didn’t answer immediately.
— It’s because— She didn’t finish her sentence, because Melvis suddenly opened the door.
— Miss, you’re finally awake!
You’ve been asleep for three days.
I was so worried!
She hugged her to reassure herself.
Emilya told her that she was fine and that nothing was wrong with her.
A few moments later, the priest and the count appeared before them.
Emilya’s expression changed.
She was furious.
— What’s your problem?
Why would you release such a monster into the wild?
Did you even think about what could have happened if it had broken through the barrier separating the arena from the audience?
— I sincerely apologize for that, the count said.
— And what was that thing, anyway?
It clearly wasn’t human.
Silence fell.
Everyone looked at the count.
— Damien, it’s time to come clean.
You need to tell them, the priest said.
— Yes, I know.
Please, follow me.
He led everyone toward the basement.
The farther they descended, the worse Emilya and Lucius felt.
They watched the priest suspiciously.
Melvis simply followed Emilya.
The count descended the stairs in silence, and his companions did the same, unsure of what awaited them at the end of the path.
When they reached a reinforced metal door, the count opened it with a key.
They entered.
It was dark and damp.
Suddenly, Emilya began to see red dots.
More and more of them appeared along the corridor.
The count took a torch and led them forward.
Inside the cages were several monsters.
They looked like creatures that had been fused together.
Their appearances were absurd.
Everyone except the priest and the count was shocked and disgusted by what they saw.
— What does this mean?
Emilya asked.
The count looked at her and answered: — This is the legacy my predecessor left me.
What do you guys think is going on down there?