Lian, upon entering the room, immediately saw the massive magic array that covered the entire space.
Nearly a thousand spells with different effects had been intricately fitted together, forming a Super Ritual Array with functions almost equal to a modern intensive care ward.
It could monitor all of Vera’s bodily conditions in real time—body temperature, breathing, pulse, heartbeat—and automatically respond to any abnormality as needed… but most importantly, it was currently simulating the magical power of the Explosive Flame Holy Sword by combining various spells, working to repair and adjust Vera’s body from a direction completely opposite to the Frosted Demon Sword that had ravaged her.
Because of such a heaven-defying function, it consumed the entire mana reserves of a Crown Mage Company every hour it operated.
And Sephy had been running it since morning—
Now Lian understood why her true body sounded so listless through the Communication Pearl.
She not only had to coordinate her thousands of avatars, but also channel mana equivalent to a Thousand Mage Battalion into this array… The fact that she hadn’t died of exhaustion was nothing short of a miracle.
You really have it rough, Sephy… This is truly something only I can handle.
And so, for the next few hours, the array devoured Lian’s mana like a bottomless pit.
Although people occasionally passed by in the corridor outside, not a single soul entered to disturb him.
Only when the night had grown deep and even the noisy Grand Hall Plaza outside the Governor’s Residence had quieted down, did Lian finally straighten his stiff back—
“Yawn…”
And let out a yawn.
How much have I used by now? One percent… probably not even that much.
Lian looked at Vera’s face, still pale as snow, and anxiety surged up again.
Sephy probably just wanted me to supply mana to maintain the array… but Lian thought he could do more.
With his current ability, even something like this shouldn’t be impossible—
“Mimicry Holy Sword: ‘Blaze.'”
He stretched out his palm, and a massive surge of mana began to gather.
The rolling gold-red energy slowly took form in his hand, shaping into a two-handed longsword.
Gazing at the completed sword, Lian showed a nostalgic smile.
To him, this sword was not merely a weapon, but a comrade and friend who had gone through life and death at his side.
Although he’d returned it to the Holy Nation after their journey ended, both its appearance and magical aura had long been engraved into his memory, never to be forgotten.
“Hold this for me… it’ll be a little hot.”
Lian guided Vera’s hands to grasp the hilt of the Imitated Holy Sword, then had her hold it before her chest.
At last, he placed his hand atop the blade of pure mana and began pouring power into it.
“Nngh…”
In Vera’s arms, the Imitated Holy Sword began to shine brilliantly, making her murmur in her sleep.
At the same time, the blade visibly shrank.
As Lian continued to channel energy, the sword grew smaller and hotter—
“Aaaaah, it’s so hot!”
Suddenly awakened, Vera let out a shriek more suited to a young girl than someone her age, leaping up and tossing the scalding thing in her arms—straight at Lian.
“Whoa! What are you doing! Don’t you know that could have killed me?!”
The now tiny Imitated Holy Sword buried itself deep in the wall behind Lian.
Barely dodging it, Lian shouted angrily at Vera.
“You—! It’s your fault for putting that thing on my chest! What is that, anyway… Wait… You’re… And this place is…”
Seeing the agitated young woman before him, Vera froze.
Wasn’t this child the girl called Lian? Why was she here…
A wave of stabbing pain and dizziness hit her, nearly making her collapse.
But the girl quickly rushed over to support her.
“Lie down before you say anything else.”
For some reason, Vera didn’t want to follow this girl’s instructions—though she had no reason not to.
But with her muddled mind and obviously abnormal body, she couldn’t resist as Lian helped her back onto the bed.
“Where is this…”
Even just opening her eyes made her head ache.
To ease the pain, she covered her eyes with her arm.
“Isn’t this your house? The Governor’s Residence on Grand Hall Plaza.”
“This isn’t my house… I don’t live here. What are those things?”
Vera pointed to the ceiling and walls.
Her headache was partly from glimpsing the complex array brimming with so much information the moment she opened her eyes.
“Those are arrays the Sage laid down to treat you. She said after this morning’s Unveiling Ceremony, you fainted from aftereffects of the ‘Frosted Demon Sword.'”
“‘Frosted Demon Sword’…” At those words, Vera trembled all over.
She was silent for a long time before she finally spoke:
“Yes… I remember. Back then… I think I started hallucinating… Where are they now?”
“After bringing me, the Sage took the Duchess back to rest. She kept watch over you all morning and afternoon.”
“Then she…! She wasn’t…!” Vera suddenly sat up, gripping Lian’s arm in terror.
To reassure her, Lian patted her on the shoulder and said, “It’s all right. The Duchess is perfectly fine. While she watched over you, your body was already back to normal.”
“T-Thank goodness…” Upon hearing this, Vera finally released her death grip, sinking back onto the bed like a ship that had been sunk.
“…Why are you here?”
“I was ordered by the Sage to take care of you.”
Lian had been waiting for this question, so he offered the excuse he’d prepared in advance.
“Liar. She told you everything about the ‘Frosted Demon Sword.’ How could she have told you something even Meliya doesn’t know? And you know the effects of these spells.”
“……”
A bead of cold sweat ran down Lian’s face.
“You saved me, didn’t you?”
As Lian said nothing, Vera pressed on in a calm tone.
Think, think, think… Now’s not the time to slip up… If she recognizes me here, she’ll go after me to the death even with that sickly body—
“…Yes.”
Lian’s mind was running faster than ever before, and he finally decided—it was best to admit it here.
Even Sephy’s Sage’s Eye couldn’t see through the changes in this body; how could this woman, who was as dense as a rock except with a sword, possibly notice anything?
“So you really are that person’s child.”
“I’m not!”
See? I told you she’s an idiot.
“Then how do you explain that?” Vera pointed at the Imitated Holy Sword stuck in the wall.
“I’m very familiar with it… That’s his sword. Even if it’s a bit different in size and shape… the feeling is the same.”
“Uh… At this point, I can’t hide it anymore. That really is his… The Hero entrusted it to me. The Sage said it could save you, so I used it.”
“…I knew it.” Vera revealed a satisfied look, as if everything was just as she’d expected.
“So who are you to him? Will you tell me?”
“Should I say master, or foster father… It’s something like that.”
This was the cover story he’d prepared with Sephy in advance—if he couldn’t avoid it, he’d use this explanation.
He’d originally planned to tell this to Meliya and Milin first.
Rather than let them keep speculating wildly, it was better to give them some peace of mind.
He just hadn’t expected to need to use it on Vera so soon.
“He doesn’t have any other wives besides Meliya, does he?”
“Of course not! How could there be? The Hero is a very devoted man…”
“You say that so certainly… Are you really that close to him?”
Of course I am. Because I am him, aren’t I? Lian rolled his eyes and nodded.
“…That’s good. But I think… you might have been fooled by him.” Vera stared intently at Lian’s face for a long time, then showed a look of relief.
“I wasn’t fooled. No one in this world knows him better than I do.”
Seeing Vera finally relax, Lian breathed a huge sigh of relief.
He walked over, pulled the now dagger-sized Imitated Holy Sword from the wall, and placed it at her bedside:
“If this helps you, you should keep it. As long as you pour your mana in, it should activate. Give it a try.”
Vera, following his suggestion, infused her mana into the now dagger-sized Imitated Holy Sword.
“…!”
Like being warmed by the gentle sun of winter, a comforting warmth slowly spread from the hot hilt throughout her body, gradually melting the stiffness from every limb.
She could sense the magic surging from this dagger—one she knew better than anyone else’s… It belonged to a certain person.
“I’ll be going now…”
“Wait!”
Vera’s voice suddenly rose.
Lian, who was just about to slip out of the room, turned around to look at her.
She was crying. Just like that, without any warning, without any restraint.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, silently falling—
“Just, just answer me one more thing.”
For the first time, with a face Lian did not recognize, she cried and smiled at the same time—the heartfelt smile she’d only seen on Vera’s face as a young girl, full of true relief.
“Is he still alive?”