Chapter 53

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

"Can you understand? That's your mother, right?"

The Duke spoke to the young Tengarou in his arms. However, the young Tengarou yawned as if it didn't interest him at all. Perhaps the unpleasant smell from the barrier and the lack of his mother's scent were blocking his senses. The Duke lifted the young Tengarou to a height above his head.

"Look, how about this?"

"Kyaun!"

Although he couldn't recognize his mother by smell, the moment he saw her, the young Tengarou started to squirm in the Duke's arms and soon let out a pitiful cry.

"Kyun, kyun, kyun"

The knights turned to see what was happening at the sound of the young Tengarou's cries, which had suddenly become agitated. The sound seemed to have reached Chaos, who was casting a spell with a serious expression. Chaos, who had turned his gaze towards us, looked surprised.

"Your Excellency... and Melfiela-sama?!"

"Chaos, how is it going?"

When the Duke called out, the knights who had surrounded the area moved aside. It seemed that the magic circle I had given them was being activated by Chaos. He held a red smoky crystal and was using his magic to draw a capture circle aimed at Tengarou.

"Hmm. I didn't expect you to be able to use ancient magic so well."

"That's just a trick, but my master taught me well. I've managed to suppress the smell, but I think Tengarou is probably unconscious."

"Master, huh."

"Triple barriers, it's like an ancient magic weapon used in the war against the Dragon King."

Chaos and the Duke looked at me meaningfully. Was I being praised? Even though it was a capture circle, it was a defensive magic circle adapted to protect the target inside. The grid-like barriers were specialized in protecting the target inside.

"By the way, you look tired, Chaos."

"It's a magic weapon from the war against the Dragon King. I'm barely managing to maintain it."

Even with the smoky crystal, Chaos, who wasn't familiar with ancient magic, seemed to be struggling to maintain it. He might be using his own magic power because he couldn't properly convert the magic power from the smoky crystal. Realizing that modern magic wouldn't have been as burdensome, I felt guilty towards Chaos. My ancient magic wasn't that advanced, and it was something I had constructed based on imagination, so it must be difficult to handle. I reached out to Chaos, and the Duke whispered in my ear.

"Leave it to Chaos. He's not that weak. Rather, can you neutralize the smell like you did for me?"

Looking closely, I saw that the closed Tengarou's nose was covered with a yellow-green liquid, which told me that the smoky crystal the Duke had burst at the nose had hit perfectly.

"I think it's not impossible. Do you have the oil paper from earlier, Your Excellency?"

"Is this it?"

The Duke, who had been holding the struggling young Tengarou, took out the oil paper I had stuck to his forehead from his pocket.

"If you can stick this on Tengarou. Without the magic circle, I'm not sure how much I can do with the remaining magic power, but I'll try."

When I explained, the Duke looked closely at the oil paper in his hand. I also took out the smoky crystal to check. The remaining magic power wasn't much.

"Actually, I think it would be better to wash him first, but the smell must be unbearable for a beast with a sharp sense of smell. Can we get closer by ten furlongs?"

The Duke murmured, "Alright, then let's do it," and gently stroked the head of the still struggling young Tengarou.

"Be still, okay?"

"Kyaun!"

"Come on, be a good boy. You want to help your mother, don't you?"

The Duke's eyes glowed with a golden light, and his beautiful magic eye activated as he made eye contact with the young Tengarou.

"We'll help her, okay?"

The young Tengarou calmed down with the Duke's gentle voice and strong magic power. I was almost mesmerized and quickly averted my gaze. What a shame. If it weren't for this situation, I could have enjoyed the Duke's magic eye to my heart's content.

"Kwa..."

"Alright, I'll remove the barrier to neutralize the smell. Everyone, set up individual barriers! Don't let your guard down, or you'll be eaten the moment the barrier is removed."

"Remove the barrier? But, Melfiela-sama—"

Although Chaos showed some resistance, four knights quickly came to my side. When I looked up, they smiled and said, "We'll protect you!"

The Duke nodded at them and said,

"Don't let your guard down, the smell is coming. Chaos, remove the magic!"

The magic grid that had been in place disappeared, and the suppressed smell of the Skrimwood spread instantly.

"Ugh..."

"My eyes... they're burning..."

"Cough, cough..."

"My nose... it's bent..."

Seeing the knights in agony, I gritted my teeth and endured the smell, determined to help them. My eyes stung, and tears welled up. The Duke beckoned me, and I moved forward ten furlongs, raising the smoky crystal towards Tengarou.

"Whenever you're ready!"

First, the Duke released the young Tengarou to the ground. He seemed eager to run over, but the smell must have been unpleasant, so he started to wander around, whining sadly.

"Completely outstretched..."

The Duke, who had been observing Tengarou, approached his nose and quickly stuck the oil paper magic circle... but then hurriedly ran back to me.

"Directly is too intense!"

Even from twenty furlongs away, the smell was getting stronger. The knights were coughing continuously, and even the knight protecting me was grimacing. As the planner of this strategy, I chanted the spell with determination, feeling responsible for the situation.

(Maybe I shouldn't have amplified the effect... It must have activated in a strange way.)

Even though the smell was amplified by magic, the Duke and the others, who had eaten the immature Skrimwood, must have been in a state of extreme hunger or facing a life-threatening situation. Tengarou, who had fainted from the smell, was still unconscious. His eyes remained closed, but his body moved with his breathing, indicating he was still alive.

Repeating the spell over and over, the yellow-green color on Tengarou's nose finally began to fade. I had never used magic for so long, and my breathing became increasingly labored.

(I can do this. I can be useful.)

When Tengarou's dirty fur finally turned white, I stopped chanting. I sniffed, but the irritating smell was gone. The contents of the smoky crystal I had been holding were almost depleted.

"Melfi, you did well."

The Duke, who had been observing Tengarou closely, returned to me.

"I hope she wakes up now."

"Yes, I do too."

The young Tengarou, who had been making pitiful sounds, whined, "Kun."

"Is it still too strong for your nose?"

"Ku..."

"Tengarou, your mother will be fine."

The young Tengarou, who had been making heart-wrenching sounds, looked up at the Duke and me, whined "Kyan!" and ran to Tengarou, who was lying still. He started licking her nose and mouth, trying to wake her up.

"If she wakes up, we can relax a bit."

"But, is it safe to leave her here like this?"

"From what I saw, she has injuries all over. It's hard to say if she's okay, but I hope she can return to the forest."

The Duke observed Tengarou with a serious expression. Apart from her nose, her white fur was matted with blood in several places. There didn't seem to be any major injuries, but she had many small cuts, possibly from the Bergnions. Her right hind leg, in particular, was covered in a large area of dark red blood.

"While she's unconscious, someone should tend to her injuries."

The Duke seemed intent on treating Tengarou's injuries.

"Let's call the caretakers. Leave a guard, and the rest of the teams will handle the aftermath. Once the Bergnions in the sky are dealt with, we'll temporarily replace the magic barrier."

Following Chaos's instructions, the knights who were not staying began to clean up the Bergnions scattered around. The Bergnions, which had been flying in such large numbers, had been mostly driven away by the dragon riders led by Mullan. The Bergnions were being carried away by the griffins, while Tengarou was being treated with great care. Tengarou, the guardian spirit of the Galbreath family, was clearly a precious being. The caretakers arrived and carefully examined Tengarou, washing her fur with water and applying ointment-like medicine. Watching this, I remembered that the Duke was also injured.

"Your Excellency, you are also injured. Please get proper treatment."

The Duke, who had been watching the process, looked as if he had forgotten something and glanced at Chaos. Of course, I had spoken loudly enough for everyone to hear, and Chaos, with a raised eyebrow, came over.

"Melfiela-sama, is His Excellency injured?"

"Yes, blood is flowing from his left shoulder. That's definitely not his own blood."

Chaos, who had heard my words, walked silently to the Duke and firmly grabbed his left shoulder.

"Ouch... Chaos, what are you doing suddenly!"

"Your Excellency, what happened to this wound?"

"It's just a scratch. It's not that painful... Hey, don't use so much force!"

"Thank you for the report, Melfiela-sama."

Chaos smiled, but the atmosphere was a bit intimidating. The Duke's face was tense, and I was a little worried if I had reported to the wrong person.

(But if I let it go, the Duke will probably ignore his injury again.)

I declared, "There's still work to do!" and grabbed the Duke's right hand, which he was arguing with Chaos.

"Your Excellency... Aristide, let's get treated first. I'll go with you."

The Duke, who had looked down at me with a sudden intensity, nodded silently.