NOVEL NEXT Chapter 25: Village Of Elves (8)
“Heal… to…?”
It was the first time he used healing magic on a sentient being, rather than an animal.
No matter how much her Mana Road might have seemed like a monster, his mana was exceptionally special.
He wasn’t sure if Aira could handle it or not.
In other words, it was like gambling.
Ray smiled sadly.
“Hahaha. I learned medicine to help humans, but when it really mattered, was it just a gamble?”
Even in this situation where she was mocking herself, her breath grew weaker and weaker.
He clenched his teeth and closed his eyes.
If she couldn’t handle his mana, and he used too little, it could have had the opposite effect.
Moreover, the nature of the healing magic “Heal” was such that the quality of mana was more important than the quantity, so having a large amount of mana wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Her Mana Road was large enough that quantity wasn’t an issue.
The issue was whether she could handle the quality of his mana.
As he focused and made up his mind, the mana started to gather around him as if responding to his will.
He pulled mana from all around him, swelling it up in the center.
A tremendous mana storm swept through the room.
The elves in the village all stared at the sudden whirlpool of mana.
“The mana is…”
“Could it be the great race…!”
“At this rate, it must be them!”
“But why now… and why there…”
The elves didn’t dare approach the intensely powerful mana storm.
It wasn’t a gentle mana.
If one approached, the sharp mana could cut through their thin skin.
As the mana gathered in the center, it lost its harshness and became softer, but the mana starting to gather was still sharp.
One by one, they came out of their homes and looked towards Aira’s house.
Ray, unaware of what was happening in the village, concentrated on controlling the mana.
He had to pull as much of his mana as possible for the maximum effect.
The premise of his current thought was that Aira had to be able to handle his mana.
“Aira, I trust you.”
He whispered as he exhaled.
“Heal!”
The immense cluster of mana was absorbed into her skin, accompanied by light.
Having drawn all the surrounding mana, the quantity was enormous.
It enveloped her entire skin, yet half of it remained.
He manipulated the remaining mana to prevent it from scattering and continued to infuse it into her.
Her body levitated due to the power of the mana.
This was the first time he had collected and controlled such a vast amount of mana, causing sweat to pour from him like rain.
The mana shone brightly, completely obscuring her form.
A blue light exploded, spreading so far that even the elves outside could see it.
Outside, Pia thought of a familiar person when she saw the cluster of light.
She immediately sprang from the ground and leaped up to the treehouse.
Without pausing to admire the treehouse she had never climbed before, she opened the door.
There he was, bathed in light and drenched in sweat.
She hadn’t expected him to persist in his efforts to save her.
She felt a certain emotion when she saw him, a member of a different race, striving for another race.
Even she, who belonged to the same elf race, had given up on her.
With just a word from the elder, he risked his colleague’s life.
She observed him, completely engrossed in the magic, soaked from exertion, and felt a wave of embarrassment.
However, Ray, the main person involved, was so absorbed in controlling the mana that he didn’t even notice Pia’s entrance.
He had to be cautious, for if he mishandled the control, the room might erupt in a gory display of Aira’s blood.
Moreover, he couldn’t even determine if his magic was functioning correctly.
Aira’s body was entirely shrouded in blue light, making it impossible to see with the naked eye.
At the point where he had almost exhausted all the gathered mana, Ray lowered his two hands that had been raised in an attempt to control the mana.
Then a tremendous shockwave rocked the room.
Boom-
A wave of mana, powerful enough to make one question if it was audible, resonated throughout the entire elf village.
As the sound and mana vanished instantly, Ira remained in the same position as before the treatment.
Even Ray himself was uncertain of the outcome.
As he had stated, it was a gamble.
But he had no alternative but to use magic since there was a chance it could save her, and he hadn’t contemplated the consequences if the treatment failed.
His sole focus was on saving the elf before him, disregarding everything else to concentrate on the magic.
“Heuk… heuk…”
He had expended a lot of stamina because he had gathered and controlled a vast amount of mana.
Even merely keeping his eyes open required a lot of effort, and if someone had touched him lightly, he would have passed out.
His resolve to see the result prevented him from losing consciousness.
And finally, he managed to smile before collapsing.
Aira, who had not awakened for over twenty years.
She opened her eyes.
When he regained consciousness, it felt as though he was submerged in water.
He couldn’t hear or feel anything.
He didn’t experience any of the excruciating pain and fatigue from before.
The comfort was so immense that Ray wanted to sleep a bit longer.
He relished the helplessness while submerged in water.
But even though he shouldn’t have been able to hear anything, sounds began to reach his ears.
“I’ll take responsibility for this human again.”
“But Aira, while he is the elves’ savior, he also made a bold attempt with Aira’s body.”
“I’ve had enough of your contemptible behavior. When you elves abandoned me for over twenty years, this human was the only one who didn’t hesitate to do the dirty work for a different race. Isn’t it ironic? In the end, the one who saved me wasn’t the one who professed to revere me, but the one who pitied me.”
A melancholic sneer was heard.
And Ray thought in his tranquility,
‘Whose voice is that… It’s really beautiful…’
No further voices were heard after that conversation.
Perhaps it was because he had lost consciousness, but who could say for sure.
“Aira!”
Ray sat up suddenly.
He had been enjoying the pleasant sensation on the back of his neck while lying down, but now that he was fully awake, things were different.
The first thing that came to his mind upon waking was Aira opening her eyes, but he shuddered at the thought that it might have been a hallucination brought on by exhaustion.
However, that was merely his anxiety speaking.
Looking down at him with a warm smile, she responded,
“I’m here, human.”
“Ah…”
In that moment, seeing her radiant smile, he felt as if all his struggles over the past month had been worth it.
She was not the girl who had been unable to show any emotion.
He had seen her laugh, cry, get angry, and even blush.
What’s more, she had responded to him.
This was a significant change, considering she had been ignoring his words for the past month.
Just like her appearance, her voice was also beautiful.
It was a wonder how she could possess such a melodious voice.
Ray’s eyes filled with tears as he was lost in these thoughts.
He was so overwhelmed with joy that he didn’t even realize tears were streaming down his face.
She looked at Ray, who was crying for her, and embraced him.
“The elves’ tea is naturally mild. The flower in the yard is indeed Deher. I drew that picture out of sheer boredom. And I think the term ‘dirty’ is inappropriate for a lady…”
Ray chuckled as she answered all the questions from that day while hugging him.
“You heard all of that. Oh, and about cleaning my body…”
“I don’t mind since you did it.”
“Huh?”
“I said I don’t mind.”
“Huh…”
An awkward silence ensued.
Despite having been together for a month, this was their first genuine conversation.
She was the one who broke the silence.
“…Thank you. You were the only one who ever came to my house. If you had given up on me, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.”
“……”
Ray’s expression was one of relief as he looked at her, who bowed her delicate body in gratitude.
As he looked at the sky outside the window, Ray shook his head.
“No, I’m more concerned that the elves might scold me for treating you carelessly. Hahaha.”
Although he was joking, her reaction was different.
A chilling mana enveloped Aira’s body.
“Who dares to treat my precious one carelessly. If someone has the courage to risk their life, they are welcome to try.”
“…That’s intense.”
The human boy, who appeared to be about ten years old, was speaking informally and comfortably to her, a high elf, which made her smile.
Ray felt awkward and scratched the back of his head.
That naturally reminded him of something.
The soft touch he had felt on the back of his head.
With a puzzled look, he asked,
“Ah, by the way, what was I lying on?”
“What you were lying on?”
As she said that, Aira slightly lifted the blanket to reveal her thigh.
The meaning was immediately understood.
Ray couldn’t say anything and just stood there silently.
Enjoying the sight of Ray’s reaction, Aira said,
“Elves allow those they acknowledge to touch below their waist and above their knees.”
“Huh?”
“I permit you to touch me.”