Chapter 27

Suppressing or taking away the magic within the body.

I had been reaching out to various documents in search of this method—but I couldn’t find it. I had a bad feeling, but it still wasn’t there. No matter how many pages I turned, no matter how many new books I brought and turned the pages, the technique was nowhere to be found.

Exhausted, I slumped over the desk, and my master’s voice echoed in my mind.

There is no method to cure the self-destructive disease now—unless we rely on the omnipotent beings in legends and traditions.

That’s right, there’s no way I could find something my master couldn’t in just a few days. However, after repeated failures, I was completely worn out. Before I knew it, I was in my room, opening the documents on “Legends and Traditions from Around the World” that my master had given me.

“Legends... Traditions...”

I muttered as I flipped through the pages.

It was a book that compiled urban legends from my original world, decorated with fantasy. It was far more interesting than reading endless lists of poisonous plants and trying to figure out how to combine their effects.

Before I knew it, I was engrossed in each and every entry.

(…Wait, this...)

I found a familiar string of characters among them.

It was a legend from a certain town called “The Spirit’s Drinking Water.”

(This is an item that appeared in Last Brave...!)

The sacred spring, believed to be drunk by the spirit guarding the region, appeared in “Last Brave” as one of the recovery items. However, it wasn’t an item you could buy from a shop. You had to venture deep into the forest and reach the collection point to obtain it.

Because it took so much effort to obtain, “The Spirit’s Drinking Water” was an excellent recovery item. Using it would fully restore the health and magic of all party members and cure all status ailments, including battle incapacitation.

It was a trump card to turn the tide in critical moments. However, I, being me, had never used it until the game was completed due to my reluctance to waste it.

In the documents my master had given me, it was written as:

—A miraculous spring that can cure any disease.

I stood up from my chair with a jolt. Chelsea, who was in the same room, looked at me in surprise.

“Laura, what’s wrong?”

She was sitting on the bed, reading a book. It seemed I had startled her.

I apologized to Chelsea and said, “I’m going to the library for a bit,” before leaving the room. I could feel her puzzled gaze on my back, but I didn’t have time to stop. I hurried down the corridor to the library, still clutching the heavy, thick book to my chest.

—My heart was pounding. I quickened my pace, eager to get there faster.

The Spirit’s Drinking Water. It had indeed appeared in the story of “Last Brave.” However, I couldn’t say for sure that it existed in this world. And the effect of this Spirit’s Drinking Water in this world—its ability to cure any disease—was uncertain. But it had a much higher chance of being real compared to other legends.

The large library, spanning two floors of the castle, was a place I had become a regular at recently. I rushed in, and the familiar librarian looked at me with wide eyes, but I didn’t have time to greet her.

I ran up the stairs. I placed the books I had brought on a long table that no one was using and started searching the bookshelves for “it.”

Anything would do. Any small piece of information. I had to find out about this “Spirit’s Drinking Water”—

(…There it is. Ah, here too!)

To my surprise, descriptions of the Spirit’s Drinking Water were found in various books. However, there were many of them, and the content was mostly the same.

One was its omnipotent effect.

The other was the region where the legend was passed down.

That was all.

(The location is the Flaria region... the same as in the game.)

The Flaria region. In the game, it was a warm area where flowers bloomed all year round, visited from the early to mid-game. If my memory served me right, there was a man over 100 years old living in the town who gave a hint about the item.

I remember being very surprised that I could obtain such a powerful recovery item so early in the game. However, as the story progressed, a boss that took a lot of effort to defeat awaited, and I thought it was a measure to help with that boss.

(The distance from the capital to the town of Flaria...)

I took out a map.

I remembered it wasn’t supposed to be very far—

“It’s close!”

I exclaimed louder than I intended. Immediately, several stern gazes flew from around me, and I shrank back, bowing several times.

Once the reproachful gazes subsided, I looked at the map again. I compared the location of the capital with the town of Flaria.

(As I thought, it’s much closer than Eme’s village... I might be able to go there on my next day off.)

The miraculous water that could cure any disease.

If it existed in this world and I could obtain it—perhaps it could save Elvira, bypassing the inexplicable aspects of the self-destructive disease.

The effect might not be as described in the legend, but it was worth a shot.

I made up my mind.

I would visit the town of Flaria as soon as possible. But before that—should I report to Arnold?

The thought crossed my mind. If I could get his understanding, it would be a great help. And more than anything, it would be lonely to go deep into the forest where the Spirit’s Drinking Water was located alone. I remembered encountering monsters there. If Arnold, who possessed strong magic, accompanied me—

But how should I talk to him?

From my past life’s memory, there’s a high possibility that this “Spirit’s Drinking Water” exists—saying something like that honestly would probably make him laugh. I might even lose his trust, as he might think I’ve gone mad.

What should I do? As I was racking my brain—

“Ah, there you are!”

A cute voice came from above.

I knew the voice without looking up—it was Chelsea.

I slowly raised my gaze, and as expected, I met Chelsea’s smiling eyes.

“Chelsea, what’s up?”

It didn’t seem like Chelsea had come to the library to look for something. She sounded like she was looking for me.

“Kasper has something for Laura.”

I could see Kasper’s messy head over Chelsea’s shoulder. His hair seemed messier than usual, but maybe it was just my imagination.

Chelsea left my side and ran to Kasper, exchanged a few words, and then turned to me. She mouthed, “I’m going back to the room,” and went down the stairs.

Kasper, scratching his head, approached me. His movements were slower than usual, and he looked tired—indeed, he had dark circles under his eyes.

“I’ll explain in detail tomorrow, before the training.”

His tone was slower than usual, and his voice was slightly lower.

What could he need on my day off? The fact that he came looking for me without asking Chelsea to relay the message suggested it was a personal matter. And the fact that he had Chelsea leave the room—perhaps it was a rather important matter.

For some reason, I had a bad feeling. My heart was pounding for a different reason than the excitement I had felt earlier.

“Laura, you’re being promoted from an apprentice to an assistant.”

I couldn’t understand the meaning of the words that reverberated in my ears.

I opened my mouth slack-jawed, and Kasper yawned loudly. He said, “I’ll explain more tomorrow,” and turned to leave.

I watched his hunched back—rather, I stared in shock—while replaying Kasper’s words in my head.

—Promoted from an apprentice to an assistant.

“...Huh?”

Still, I couldn’t understand the meaning of those words.