Chapter 99

<Lambart Daily>

Imperial Year XXX, May XX

Massive Explosion in the City Center! Disaster Averted by Mysterious Ice Magic.

– Tionville-Nephet Bridge Site Sees Major Blast… Two Bridge Piers Collapse

– Witnesses Report: “A Sudden Wall of Ice Appeared and Blocked the Explosion.”

Following last month’s lightning accident on Chapel Street, this marks the second magical disaster within a month, heightening public anxiety.

Yesterday afternoon, a large-scale magical explosion occurred near the bridge connecting Tionville and Nephet Streets.

The blast heavily damaged the waterway walls on both sides and caused two bridge piers to collapse. A passing pleasure boat was split in half, resulting in extensive property damage.

What’s remarkable, however, is that all passengers aboard the boat were rescued without injury.

Adélaïde Duclerc, one of the passengers who will be hereafter referred to as Madame Duclerc testified:

“A deafening roar suddenly tore through the sky, and at that moment, a massive wall of ice appeared, shielding us from the explosion. It was as beautiful as watching an ice rose bloom.”

Meanwhile, survivors claimed they saw a man in a black coat moments before the blast.

In particular, a coachman driving across the bridge just before the incident said that—

***

That was the newspaper Dahlia had fetched for me the day before yesterday.

Apparently, the royal capital had been in an uproar while I was unconscious.

And now, my body was following suit completely out of order.

My condition was abysmal.

I hadn’t realized it right after waking from that nightmare, but as time passed, it felt like the anesthesia had worn off, and the pain came flooding back.

It was as if I had caught a severe cold, body ache, and stomach flu all at once.

Now that I’ve been told I have a heart condition, I can’t help but notice every single beat of my heart.

I thought reading something might take my mind off the worries, but that plan failed miserably.

In the end, I pushed the newspaper aside and lay back down on the bed.

When you’re sick, all sorts of thoughts start running through your head.

Come to think of it, after my duel with Shannon the other day, I also felt a brief, unexplained pain in my chest.

Could that have been an early warning sign?

Comparing that situation to now, there’s a clear pattern… the problem tends to appear after I’ve used a large amount of mana.

During the fight with Shannon, I used about seventy percent of my reserves, and in the case of the Caraphine explosion… well, I must have drawn out even more than that.

Winter Winslet’s mana level is ranked S, the very limit of what a human can possess. But the destructive power of a military-grade weapon naturally exceeds any individual’s capacity.

Honestly, it’s a miracle I survived that explosion without a single wound.

In any case, my guess is that excessive mana use put too much strain on my body. It’s a common issue among mages, so it’s not an unreasonable assumption.

Besides, Winter Winslet’s health stat has always been on the low side, which would make the backlash even worse.

If that’s the case… then maybe I just need to raise my health stat.

That thought reminded me of something I hadn’t thought about in a while. It was the Achievement Shop.

“Dahlia.”

“Yes! What is it, Master?”

I was about to tell her to step out for a bit, but then I caught the determined look in her eyes. The kind that said she was ready to devote herself entirely to caring for a patient.

So instead, I came up with another idea.

“Did you let Josephine know that I’ve woken up?”

“Oh!”

Dahlia’s eyes widened in surprise.

“I’m so sorry. With everything going on, I completely forgot.”

“Does Josephine at least know that I collapsed?”

“Of course. While you were unconscious, the young lady came to visit every single day.”

“Is that so.”

“It was thanks to the young lady taking care of you in my place that I was able to rest from time to time and keep up with the household chores. I should have told you first thing when you woke up, but I’ve been terribly ungrateful.”

“Go let her know.”

“Will you be all right if I step out for a bit?”

“Yes. I don’t think my condition will worsen right now.”

“Understood. I’ll be quick!”

With a polite bow, Dahlia hurried out of the room.

The moment she was gone, I summoned the Achievement Shop.

[Achievement Shop]

– You can use Achievement Points to purchase special perks.

– Achievement Points are obtained by clearing Death Flags.

[Current Available Points: 52]

Having survived countless brushes with death, I had gradually accumulated a decent number of points.

Now, I could use them to enhance Winter Winslet’s stats.

[Winter Winslet]

Strength: D Health: D

Dexterity: A Wisdom: B

Intelligence: A

I had already spent 5 Achievement Points to raise Health from E-rank, the level of a child, to D-rank, which was roughly average for an adult.

If I raised it one step further to C-rank, a level considered skilled or trained, the improvement should be noticeably significant.

The required cost followed a simple pattern:

Raising a rank consumed points in multiples of five. So it was 5 points from E to D, 25 points from D to C, and so on.

So, raising Health all the way to B-rank was out of the question for now.

[Spend 25 Achievement Points to raise Health to C-rank? (YES/NO)]

Before deciding, I hesitated for a moment.

My instincts as a long-time veteran of Candela of Judgment were warning me.

Was it really wise to invest my hard-earned points into Health?

As in most games, Candela of Judgment emphasized specialization over balance.

A jack-of-all-trades build with evenly distributed stats always ended up mediocre.

In that sense, Winter Winslet was a textbook example of a well-optimized mage.

A sharp mind and fragile body.

Wouldn’t it make more sense, then, to maintain that focus instead of wasting points on health?

If I pushed either Dexterity or Intelligence who were both already at A-rank to S-rank, the human limit, or enhanced my magical talent one step further, there’d be no one in all of Laurencia who could stand against me.

Compared to that, a mere C-rank Health stat felt underwhelming.

Sure, it would increase my maximum HP, but it wasn’t like a mage was supposed to be fighting on the front lines anyway.

…Or maybe I was only thinking like this because the pain had eased up a little.

Maybe I felt too fine at the moment.

Those were the thoughts running through my head when—

Knock, knock.

A knock came from the hospital room door.

“Come in.”

At first, I thought it was Dahlia who had returned.

But the person who appeared outside the door was someone unexpected.

“It’s me, darling.”

It was Rose Bly.

Dressed in a thin knit blouse, a skirt that revealed her ankles, and thick-heeled shoes, Rose Bly strode toward me without asking for permission, sat down in a chair, and crossed her legs.

She wore a hat adorned with a dark mesh veil, and from behind that veil, she looked at me with a complicated expression.

“I was worried about you.”

“Why… no, how did you know to come here?”

“I heard from that girl. Your attendant; her name was… Lilia, was it?”

“Dahlia.”

“Clever girl, isn’t she? She knew exactly who to call first when something happened to you.”

There was a touch of confidence in Rose Bly’s voice as she said that.

That Dahlia….she forgot to notify Josephine that I’d woken up, yet somehow she managed to contact Rose Bly right away?

Otherwise, there’s no way Rose could have come this quickly.

If Josephine found out, she’d be terribly disappointed.

Let’s keep this from her.

“She’s such a pretty, cute thing. Your type, perhaps?”

I let out a sigh.

“Just tell me what you came here for.”

“I told you already, I was worried. You haven’t been coming to see me lately. Did you push yourself too hard until you ended up like this? Let’s get started right away.”

“Get started? With what?”

“What else? Treatment, of course.”

“What?”

Behind the veil, Rose Bly’s lips curved into a charming smile.

“I know how to make you better.”

I soon realized why Dahlia had contacted Rose Bly first.

Dahlia had a plan all along.

***

“You said you know how to cure me?”

“That’s right.”

“And you also know that I’m sick?”

“Why are you so surprised? You told me yourself, remember?”

What Rose Bly said seemed to be the truth.

It’s not like she came all the way here just to lie to a terminally ill patient. There was no reason for that.

Only one thing puzzled me.

I knew Rose Bly and Winter Winslet were more than just an affair, but I hadn’t imagined they’d even shared the knowledge of his incurable illness.

The more I learned about Rose Bly, the clearer it became just how deep her connection with Winter Winslet truly was.

I thought of my fiancée who was treated as second even by Dahlia and a twinge of guilt surfaced in my chest. I let myself taste it briefly before pushing it aside.

For now, my own survival came first.

“So, this cure you mentioned…what is it?”

I asked Rose Bly.

“You’re asking me that? You already know, don’t you?”

“I just want to confirm.”

I said it to avoid raising suspicion.

But Rose Bly seemed to pick up on something in my persistent questioning. Her brows drew together, and then she smiled faintly….only her lips moved.

It was a flirtatious smile.

“Do I really have to say it out loud?”

“I’m not joking. Answer me properly.”

“My, you’re being awfully cruel today. What’s the matter? Thinking of me now that you’re sick? Hehe.”

Something about the conversation felt off.

I was being serious, yet she kept dodging my questions.

And why did she keep toying with my hand like that?

I pushed Rose Bly’s hand aside and fixed my gaze on her with sharp eyes.

Her smile only deepened in response.

“Making a woman say things like that… you really do have a twisted taste.”

With that, Rose Bly rose from her chair, leaned down, and whispered in my ear,

“Keep your schedule clear for the next three days. I’ll be coming to your place…with my things.”