Chapter 322: The Pull
The Kingdom’s citizens woke up to a dark morning as thick clouds covered the sky, leaving no land untouched by a violent mixture of heavy rain and biting snow.
In the Kingdom’s forest, at the center of the storm, trees fell one after the other, their loud crashes matching the thunder and hail pounding the ground.
Even miles away, the swaying treetops hummed as howling winds rushed through their leaves.
Agatha: "Ugh... Can’t you tell her to stop?"
I woke up to Agatha’s hand carefully landing on my shoulder.
The bags under her eyes were darker than usual, her voice more tired.
Miwen: "Sorry about that."
Even though I had full control over the Kingdom’s weather, the storm was neither my doing nor something I could stop.
After we returned to the Kingdom yesterday, Elizabeth excused herself to the farthest area of the Kingdom, telling me that she wanted to improve her current mana output so that she would cleanly defeat Adriarch next time.
Within a few hours, she overwhelmed the bright, breezy day I had selected in my system.
Elizabeth had better control than this. But precisely because I knew that, instead of scolding her, I allowed her to do as she pleased.
After all, this wasn’t her training; it was her venting.
She had fought like usual, without disgracing her title of Demon Queen or the name of her king. Yet, despite not losing even in a battle of wills, her anger and frustration were palpable.
She had done well, but not well enough for the standard she held herself to.
I sympathized with her too much to say anything.
And besides, yesterday, I was too busy to talk with her.
Miwen: "No news from The Merchant? Or Pris?"
Looking down, Agatha nodded in silence.
The Merchant’s absence didn’t surprise me. It had been a while since he last showed his face, and he even had the Caravan stay inside the Kingdom for a while.
However, he even recalled Priscilla a couple of days ago, so...
I probably wouldn’t hear from them for the time being.
Agatha: "What about that cosmic woman? The Hotel Girl?"
This time, I was the one shaking my head.
I spent the night trying to convince the First Daughter to help the girls or get one of her brat siblings to do it, but despite feeling sorry for us, she apologized, saying she was afraid of interfering again.
The only help I managed to get, besides Gabriella and Raella, was Nissa.
She tried to strike a deal, asking me to remove her curse, but given Elizabeth’s mood, I instead offered her a few benefits, such as not being ordered to do it with a million [Kingdom Points].
Miwen: "...If you’ve changed your mind, I can bring Sabrina, too."
She was still refusing to return to Earth, so I kept her and Edmond locked up in the Kingdom’s underground prison.
If not for Agatha stopping me, I would’ve brought her too.
Agatha: "I’ve told you before. I’d rather be understaffed than have someone I can’t trust taking care of them."
She let out a long, deep sigh.
Unlike me, she had no rest yesterday.
Though, honestly, the only reason I got some shut-eye was that I ran out of mana after I poured everything I had into healing Angelica, so that she could also help the others.
Miwen: "Does that mean you trust Nissa, then?"
Agatha: "...Enough not to harm innocent girls."
From the chair I slept on, I could see Nissa on the opposite end of the corridor.
She was grabbing at her own hair with a frown on her face, her voice occasionally being interrupted by Marin’s.
Despite how annoyed she seemed with the drunkard captain, she had good intentions, trying to swap her whisky for a jar of water, while also telling Celly she should return to her own bed.
I was surprised to see her with her hair tied up and wearing a nurse’s outfit, considering how much she protested yesterday.
Even she, with all of her power, couldn’t win against Agatha.
Miwen: "I see. You’re doing a great job, Agatha. Thanks."
I got up from my chair, heading toward Angelica’s bed.
But Agatha grabbed my arm, stopping me in the middle of the corridor.
Agatha: "You’re not thinking of passing out on me again, are you?"
Even through the lenses of her glasses, I could feel the disapproval in her stare.
Miwen: "If Angelica gets better, it’ll be an extra pair of hands for you."
Agatha: "And if you keep pushing yourself, I’ll have one more patient to deal with."
Even though she was angry, she kept her voice low.
Unfortunately, the storm outside raged on, drowning out her care.
Agatha: "...There’s a better way you can help me."
She walked before me, pulling me by the arm.
We stopped in front of Licia’s bed. Swiftly pulling aside the curtains around it, Agatha revealed Licia lying with Claire and Angelica by her side.
Angie’s halo was being used as a popcorn bucket holder, while an improvised arm attached to it held a tablet before them.
The three briefly looked my way, but while Licia wore a warm, awkward smile and Angelica quietly lowered her head, Claire’s attention shifted to the juice-filled jar sitting on the bedside cabinet next to me.
Claire: "...Pretty please?"
She meekly extended her arm, handing her empty cup.
I remained silent until finally, she left the cup on the cabinet.
Miwen: "Angie... What did these two do to you?"
She had a hard time facing me, though the tablet hanging in front of her gave her an easy excuse.
Still, after a second, she slowly turned my way.
Angelica: "...Agatha said I should rest and focus on healing myself."
I glanced her way; Agatha had her arms crossed, and her lips sealed.
Miwen: "So how did you end up like this, exactly?"
This time, I focused on Licia.
She was pretending to be focused on the movie, eating popcorn from her hand, and sharing her juice with Claire.
Yet, as the silence lingered, it became harder for her to maintain the facade.
Licia: "Agatha said we couldn’t have our own TV because of the other patients, and it was a little uncomfortable to hold Claire’s phone."
She lifted her hair, showing me the earphones she wore.
Claire: "The screen is small too..."
She brought her phone from the cabinet, as if to prove to me that the screen was, in fact, small.
I brought a hand to my mouth, hiding my laughter.
Miwen: "Angie, if they try to abuse you, tell them off."
Licia: "We’re not abusing her? We’re resting! We rest better together... And you could join us, too~"
That wasn’t a bed for two, much less for four.
Miwen: "You-"
I prepared a good scolding for them, but as soon as she heard my stern voice, Angie faced me with eyes too determined to ignore.
Angelica: "I don’t mind this. It’s... comfortable."
As a reward for her bravery, my cute angel earned herself a tight hug from Licia.
Angelica: "...I’m sorry. I couldn’t protect them."
Slowly, her trembling fingers intertwined with Licia’s.
Angelica: "This way, I can heal them and rest at the same time. It’s the best for everyone, so... Please."
After defying Agatha and me, avoiding our gaze wasn’t enough, and she closed her eyes, anxiously waiting for my response.
Licia narrowed her eyes, and even Claire stared daggers at me.
It was hard to fight their combined pressure, but still...
Miwen: "I get that, but..."
Agatha: "Ahem!"
While I searched for a rebuttal, Agatha cleared her throat, gently pulling on my arm.
Instead of the stern look I expected to see on her face, she had a slight smile.
Agatha: "I never said anything about separating them, did I?"
Her words caught me off guard; I raised an eyebrow.
Agatha: "This is not my recommended way of resting, but... They are not exerting themselves, and having Angelica near helps take the load off the rest of us."
I heard from Licia that she was surprisingly flexible with her patients, but I never expected it to be this much.
Though it did raise a few questions...
Miwen: "Then... What did you want me to help with?"
I was sure she wanted me to sort out this situation.
Agatha: "You’re no angel, but to them, your presence is healing. I just wanted you to put those smiles on their faces."
She might not have realized it, but she was as much of a reason for their smiles as I was.
Frankly, even I was a little relieved to be around her. It was a stark contrast to yesterday, when I brought the girls to her clinic.
Back then, she was furious.
After getting the girls on their beds and stopping their bleeding, she called me over to a corner and shouted nonstop about what happened, threatening again to leave the Kingdom.
Even though she didn’t have the strength to damage me with her hits, it hurt every time her fists landed on my chest, every tear that flowed down her face breaking a piece of me.
Miwen: "...I’ll join you guys for the next one. Don’t start it without me."
I gave Claire her juice, and then one headpat to each of them.
Once it was Angie’s turn, I used a fraction of my mana to heal her.
My [Light Magic] wasn’t nearly as good as hers, or as the Saints’, but I planned on giving her everything I could later.
Miwen: "Can I take a look at the others?"
Agatha: "...Yes."
After closing the curtains of their bed, Agatha and I headed upstairs to the third floor I hastily built yesterday.
Instead of the amateur nurses, like Reina and Nissa, in this ward, there were only professional healers, like Raella and Gabriella.
Currently, the only exception was Mia.
She sat silently on the floor in front of the bed farthest from the stairs, tracking every movement, smell, or sound that entered the clinic’s emergency ward.
Her eyes darted towards me, and then Agatha.
Without her saying a word or even letting out a breath, her attention returned to the stairs.
Even after I commented on how cute she was in her nurse’s outfit, she didn’t respond.
For the time being, I let her be, saying nothing as I walked toward the closed-curtain beds.
Agatha: "...Are you sure it’s fine?"
Miwen: "Nothing’s fine. But... She wouldn’t like it if I prioritized her."
Mia had bandages covering her cuts, but her injuries were light compared to the others.
Especially those she was guarding on this floor...
Agatha: "I see..."
Before opening the curtains, Agatha told me to take a deep breath.
But no matter what I did, I couldn’t calm my heart enough for the sight before my eyes.
Anna, Bea, and Ellie lay on three separate beds; between each of them were Raella and Gabriella, a strong white light emanating from the hands that hovered over the unconscious girls.
There was very little for me to see.
Almost all of their skin had been covered by bandages and stitches, from head to toe.
Their faces were swollen and cut to the point of being unrecognizable.
Despite being cleaned of their blood, the sight still made my blood boil.
Agatha: "...Anna has suffered the most damage. Most of her bones are cracked, broken, or displaced. Her skin was also... cracked. A few patches fell off, and I couldn’t do anything about their decay..."
Raella stopped her magic for a second so I could see what she was working on.
Slowly, Anna’s skin began to tear, falling off.
Before she’d start bleeding, Raella resumed her magic.
Agatha: "The fox and I have worked on medicine for the poison that spread on their bodies. As of yet, we are still uncertain about its effects. I plan on checking a blood sample later tonight, so we can refine our approach."
She removed a part of the blanket covering Anna.
Agatha: "Aside from her skin, we are currently focused on her organs and bones. Specifically, the bones that cut her internally."
She pointed to the area near Anna’s abdomen, gently hovering her hand near it, without touching.
After covering Anna with the blanket again, Agatha took me to Ellie’s bedside.
Her face had been almost entirely covered, but what worried me more was her right eye.
When Agatha lifted the eyepatch covering it, my chest tightened, and my breath caught in my throat.
It took me a second to open my eyes again.
Miwen: "...Is she going to be blind for life?"
It hurt, but I had to get this question off my chest.
Agatha: "...Well, I’m not sure. We’ve removed the bullet and the tissue, but eyes are quite complicated to rebuild, even for Saints. It’s practically impossible, and definitely not advisable, to try it with her in this state."
She went on to explain that Raella and Gabriella would need Ellie’s feedback.
The process was basically trial and error, with them removing and rebuilding her eye until it was fixed.
Agatha: "For the time being, our priority has been her lungs. They are failing more often than not."
Gabriella was focusing on Ellie.
She said something about the will of the Gods, but my ears weren’t listening to her.
After she showed me the most pressing injuries on Ellie’s body, Agatha led me to Bea’s bed.
At first sight, her condition wasn’t as critical as the other two, but...
Agatha: "They are all unstable, but her... She’s the one who worries me most."
Bea was even more pale than the others.
Her breathing was slightly steadier, but her entire body would occasionally tremble, as if a strong electric current had passed through her.
Agatha: "She pushed beyond her mana pool. Just like Licia. Sincerely, I don’t know how Licia is not like this, but I suppose it has to do with this..."
She took a small vial from her pocket.
It was filled with blue blood.
Agatha: "Her body is rejecting external mana. Even her own mana is disoriented; the paths inside her are all broken. She could wake up today, or a year from now. She might never wake up at all... "
She turned her back to me, facing the curtains.
Agatha: "I... We are doing what we can, but... I can’t guarantee any of them will live. I’m sorry."
A long sight escaped her.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Agatha’s hands trembling.
I had poured some of my mana into each of the girls, but just like Agatha had said, my [Light Magic] bounced off Bea.
Instead, I gently stroked her hair.
Closing the curtains, I said goodbye to Gabriella, Raella, and Agatha.
Before heading downstairs, I sat by Mia’s side.
Gently, I began caressing her neck.
Her head slowly reached in the direction of my hand, her eyes still fixed on the stairs.
Miwen: "We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?"
She quietly closed her eyes.
A minute passed, and then another.
Feeling she had rested enough, her watchful eyes returned to the stairs.
I gave her a light peck on the forehead before leaving the emergency ward.
