Chapter 73 Treatment
The Next Day. As we took a step into the forest to meet Elvira with the spirits, something happened in that moment.
More light particles than ever before surrounded us - or rather, surrounded Elvira. Next thing we knew, we were being led to a spring. I couldn't help but feel relieved that we were guided safely even without Lukas.
Looking back, Arnold and Elvira, who were siblings, had the same surprised expression. As I realized this fact, Marcedes-san blushed and looked around with curiosity.
"There's a great spirit tree over there, and the spring flowing from its roots is called 'The Drinking Water of the Spirits'..."
I glanced at the tree and then back at Elvira.
"The spirits are gathering..."
Elvira was completely surrounded by light particles.
I wondered if they could tell that Elvira was suffering from an illness. The thought filled me with hope.
Elvira hesitantly reached out to the spirits around her. The moment her fingertips touched them, the light particles were enveloped in a small flame.
"It's burning!?"
I briefly thought Elvira had used magic, but I felt uneasy seeing her own fingers burning - it was a symptom of the Self-destruction disease.
How could flames attack such a small body so suddenly, without any warning?
As I stood frozen, Marcedes-san quickly approached and began treating the burns with magic. The burns on her fingers disappeared in an instant, reassuring me that it was a mild symptom.
"...I'm sorry."
Elvira apologized softly to the spirit that had burned itself due to the Self-destruction disease. The light particles approached the spring and submerged themselves in the water. A few seconds later, a lively spirit emerged from the water.
Elvira seemed relieved as she watched. Seeing her tightly gripping her own fingers, I felt a tightness in my chest.
I wanted to save Elvira Rocco - not out of pity or obligation, but out of a protective feeling towards a much smaller girl as a fellow human being.
"Elvira-chan, come here."
I reached out to Elvira. As she hesitated to place her hand on mine, her fingers twitched. I thought she might still be wary of me, but then I realized she might be recalling the incident where she accidentally hurt a spirit with fire.
It must be terrifying for a young girl to accidentally harm others because of herself. If I were in her position, I'm sure I would try to avoid contact with others as much as possible.
--That's why I took her hand.
I smiled at Elvira with wide eyes and led her to the spring. I scooped a small amount of water with a cup and offered it to her.
"Can you drink this, Elvira-chan?"
Elvira stared at the water in the cup for a moment, then drank it in one go without hesitation. After finishing it, she slowly spoke.
"...I feel a bit relieved, maybe."
From Elvira's words, it seemed like there were no negative effects at least. Unsure of how to interpret her answer, I turned to Arnold for confirmation. Marcedes-san was approaching us, so I left Elvira in her care and walked over to Arnold, who was standing a bit away.
Next to him, I quietly asked a question so Elvira wouldn't hear me.
"How often does Elvira-chan's body get attacked by the symptoms of the Self-destruction disease?"
"The symptoms of ignition like earlier occur about once every ten days. But recently, she has been constantly experiencing heartburn. I thought that might also be one of the symptoms..."
With Arnold's answer, I finally understood the true meaning of Elvira's earlier words.
She had been suffering from symptoms like heartburn, but after drinking The Drinking Water of the Spirits, she said her chest felt clear. So...
"If that's the case, could it be working a little...?"
While the dramatic effect wasn't immediate upon drinking it, it might be okay to hold onto a bit of hope.
For example, in a game, when a comrade afflicted by a status ailment like poison has the poison indicator on their status screen, using a healing potion with detoxifying effects would make that indicator disappear, indicating that they are "cured." However, in reality, it's not that simple. Elvira's status screen might still show the indication of the Self-destruction disease, or perhaps it disappeared due to the powerful healing potion, The Drinking Water of the Spirits, prescribed earlier.
It's frustrating, to be honest. But in this situation, all we can do is calmly assess the situation.
"--Thank you, hehe."
As I looked up at the laughter, I saw Marcedes-san playing with the spirits. She seemed to be playing with light particles with her fingertips, while Elvira watched her with a tilted head.
I took a few steps towards Marcedes-san and asked loudly.
"Marcedes-san, can you hear the voices of the spirits?"
"Faintly, but yes. I'm very worried about Elvira."
It seems that elves, who are said to have spirits as ancestors, can somewhat hear the voices of the spirits. However, Elvira, constantly tilting her head as if she couldn't understand Marcedes-san's words, might not be able to hear the voices of the spirits.
So I turned back and asked Arnold.
"Arnold-san, can you hear them?"
"I can't. ...Our elven blood is thin among us."
Our elven blood is thin among us.
Unable to digest the somewhat suggestive words, I tilted my head. Before I could ask what he meant, Arnold spoke again.
"I'm not sure if 'disappointed' is the right term, but, you know, I just can't feel it."
I nodded at Arnold's words, his voice slightly hoarse from fatigue.
If the scene earlier had unfolded in a game, there might have been an emotional and grand BGM playing. In that case, as a player, I would judge that the Self-destruction disease had been completely cured in this event. Or if there was some unsettling BGM playing, it would be a sign that it couldn't be cured. Such expressions of "clarity" are simply not provided in reality.
To be honest, I didn't have that much confidence that the Self-destruction disease would be completely cured just by The Drinking Water of the Spirits. That's why I can't feel it.
(...At least for now, she seems fine.)
Regarding Elvira's Self-destruction disease, it's hard to say anything until we observe her condition for a while. Perhaps she was completely cured by The Drinking Water of the Spirits alone, or maybe the symptoms were just temporarily suppressed.
However, in any case, it has been discovered that "The Drinking Water of the Spirits" has some effect on the Self-destruction disease. This is a significant discovery. Even if complete recovery is not possible, by working on synthesizing based on "The Drinking Water of the Spirits," the goal may eventually become visible.
"We can't say it's a complete cure yet. Let's observe for a while."
Although his voice was still firm, there was definitely a sense of relief in Arnold's black eyes.
Those black eyes were gently gazing at his beloved little sister.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)