332 Sleeping Beauty
The warriors who fought and bested Noir finally managed to recover.
Vermeil and Ajax, after the first 24 hours, were already recovered and went to provide backup for the border defense. After all, even though Noir was dead, the demons were still attacking them incessantly.
Zeshion was the same, in that as soon as he recovered enough to return to battle, he immediately headed for the parts that needed support and literally swept the battlefield.
Zeta, who fainted after suffering some mental damage, recovered roughly two days later. As soon as she did, she quickly teleported away without saying anything. Nobody had seen her since then.
After that, time passed quickly. Recovery of the capital, the other towns and cities, and memorial services for those who died were done without fail. However, throughout those events, one person was unable to participate despite being one of the "heroes."
A month. It had been that long, but Will had yet to open his eyes.
Ember, Fang, and Igni believed that their master would wake up soon and never leave his side, even for a single moment. Fatima, Minerva, and Hekate returned to the Seimei territory ahead of the three, passing the news of Will's state to everyone else.
Hekate, on the other hand, was starting to get depressed and locked herself in her room for a while. During the battle with Noir, she couldn't do anything but watch. Minerva was able to support them with her mental barriers, but Hekate did nothing but look ahead and pray.
"We're just at the 7th stage, so, normally, we can't contribute much to that battle."
Minerva told her this, trying to appease her, but to no avail. They were watching a god's battle, after all. Rather, it should be a feat worthy of praise just for them surviving that battle.
Still, Hekate continued to blame herself for being weak—nothing but a tagalong for Minerva, who was actually useful.
When Fina heard this, she couldn't help but smile wryly.
"If you are worthless, then I'd be less than worthless."
Despite being one of Will's tamed monsters, she wasn't even able to fight alongside him. She accepted that it was because she was weak that she would be a deadweight even if she did come with them. However, knowing the rationale and accepting it willingly are two different things.
"I know I am weak, and I accept that. However, I refuse to stay weak. One day, I will be a force that Will would be willing to lean on! How about you? Are you willing to stay as weak as you are right now?"
Hekate, of course, wasn't a kid who would get riled up by such emotional speech. Still, after thinking for a while, she realized how true Fina's words were. The very next day, she came to Fina, asking her to help her train.
The pair were weak since they were specialized for support. Hekate had buffs, while Fina had debuffs. However, when faced with powerful enemies, their support would have less and less impact.
For the rest of the month, the two girls trained by increasing their repertoire and raising the upper limit of their skills. Although at a crawling pace, they were increasing their power step by step.
During the entire time, Will was still fast asleep, in a coma where nobody knew when he would wake up. They decided not to move him from Goddess Blanc's Monastery in case he required emergency treatment, but nothing of the sort happened for the entire duration. He was simply sleeping peacefully, as if cursed to never wake up again.
Unable to eat or drink since he was asleep, the others could only rely on Ember's newly created intravenous tubes, giving water and nutrients to his body. Without that, Will would probably not last for as long as he did.
"Master..."
As expected, the girls couldn't waste their time watching beside Will forever. Instead, they decided to keep watch over Will in a cycle. Today, it was Ember's turn to watch over him, looking at his face, which was a lot thinner compared to a month ago.
Every time, at noon, they would pass the baton to the next watcher. As if it were a predetermined act, the girls would kiss Will's forehead before leaving, praying that he would regain consciousness even a day faster.
During Ember's shift, she would read various books out loud to Will, as if to stave off his boredom. Despite having no reaction from him, Ember felt satisfied with what she was doing.
Fang, on the other hand, kept on telling stories of how she was hunting the demons at the border together with the Luo and Seimei troops. Every time she was there, she had new stories to tell, not running out of topics for even a day.
Igni, for one, simply kept on talking to Will, treating it as if he could hear her voice. Her expression was lively whenever talking, but during pauses between each topic, a heartwrenching expression crossed her face.
Minerva and Hekate were the ones who were worried the most. After all, they already experienced losing their master once. Looking at Will, who was unresponsive, they couldn't help but feel anxious. Still, they worked together to finish their chores, similar to the others: using a basin of water and wiping Will's body clean.
Fina, along with Judy and Yorm, did nothing but report the happenings back at the mansion. As the Family Head, Will, was out of commission, it was Guren and Lady Luo who were running the place. Nothing was wrong for the moment, but Fina could feel that the current situation could not continue for long.
Documents and bills that needed the head's approval, which neither of the two interim heads could process, were already starting to pile up in his office.
From time to time, Wan Li, Wan Er, and Ying Yue come to visit too. Whenever they came, they would paste a smile on their faces, as if afraid to show Will how worried they were about his current condition.
Days passed, and soon, Will's body was starting to look like skin and bones. Any longer, and the girls were worried that he might die. Blanc tried several times, trying to figure out why he wasn't waking up, but nothing worked. They were unable to do anything.
"..."
Suddenly, the day came.
Will... Opened his eyes.
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