“Let go of that hand!”
After narrowly deflecting the trident, Lucia struck with a late surge of magical power.
Yet again, Undine easily blocked the attack with her bare hands and delivered a strong blow to her side.
Crack!
With a chilling sound of bones breaking, Lucia let out a gasp as she crumpled in pain.
“Gah…!!”
The shock sent Lucia tumbling away, while Evan continued to be choked.
Akada, watching the scene, felt his heart race nervously.
Seeing Undine’s overwhelming power easily subduing the two of them brought back memories from the past.
– Please save me…!
– Akadaaa!!
The cries of his comrades pleading for their lives against the monster.
And himself, paralyzed in fear, unable to help as he witnessed their struggles.
Memories he had tried to forget surged forth vividly under Undine’s pressure.
“Ugh, huff…!!”
Akada’s breath quickened.
His heart began to race unnaturally fast.
The tremors coursing through his body would not cease.
It was as if a prey had encountered its predator.
“Huh…!”
Struggling to catch his breath, Akada finally sank to the ground.
His once steadfast gaze was now completely devoid of will.
{…Is this it?}
Seeing Akada trembling in front of her, Undine released her grip on Evan’s neck.
As a result, Evan fell to the floor.
“Khugh, hhaaa…!”
Finally feeling the air entering his lungs, Evan gasped for breath.
{This test has failed as well.}
With a look that hinted at a slight disappointment, Undine announced the failure of the test as she gazed at Akada.
{Recover and try again.}
*
“Cough….”
After the test ended and exiting the castle.
Lucia, leaning against Evan as they made their way to a resting place, let out a pained sigh.
“Are you okay?”
“Not so good. My bones are broken, and just a little touch, ugh…!!”
When her arm brushed against the injured area, she trembled in agony.
“We need to treat this first.”
Evan leaned Lucia against the wall and sent Akada ahead to get help.
Then he asked her, “Can you take off your clothes by yourself?”
“Why the clothes…?”
“Because I need to see the injured area.”
Lucia attempted to lift her arms to undress but flinched and gave up.
“It seems impossible… The pain is too severe for me to move.”
“That’s understandable. It might be tricky with a fracture.”
Evan carefully helped Lucia bend at the waist to remove her clothing without causing too much movement.
She let out pained whimpers during the process, but it was better than lifting her arms, so she didn’t struggle too much.
With only her undergarments remaining, it was a situation that could have easily instilled embarrassment, but the pain left Lucia unconcerned about her modesty.
Evan was in a similar mindset.
He was so focused on treating Lucia’s wounds that he hardly registered the situation.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Evan gently pressed on the swollen side of her body.
“Ugh!! Ah, hnn…”
Another painful moan escaped Lucia’s lips, her body twisting in discomfort.
“Eh, Evan… It hurts, go a little easier…”
Unlike when they were torturing her before, Lucia had never complained, but now even the slightest touch had her reacting intensely, indicating her serious condition.
“Let’s apply the medicine first.”
Fortunately, there was a healing remedy already prepared in Cordelia, anticipating such situations.
Though it was less effective than summoning a healer, going out to Atlantis for treatment would delay things significantly.
If that happened, Lucia’s condition could worsen, so Evan decided to apply the remedy first.
“Ugh…! Ah, uhh…!”
As he began to apply the medicine to the swollen area, Lucia’s cries turned into near-screams.
Evan applied it slowly and cautiously, determined to minimize her pain.
“Ugh, hha…!”
While she was still moaning in agony, he could sense the tremors gradually subsiding as the remedy took effect.
By the time he had almost finished, her whimpers had noticeably diminished.
“Feeling any better?”
“…A bit more than before.”
Lucia exhaled a long sigh as she responded.
“How’s the movement in your arm?”
“It’s still uncomfortable. Better than before, but every time I try to move, there’s still pain.”
“At least it’s getting better, that’s something to be thankful for…”
Evan sighed in relief.
At that moment, Lucia blushed lightly and spoke up.
“…By the way, when will I get my clothes back…? It’s about time I’d like to wear some…”
Now that the pain was receding, a sense of modesty returned.
Realizing her state of near nudity, Evan fumbled to help her get dressed.
“I-I’m sorry. I completely forgot in the heat of the moment…”
“No, it’s… You had to treat me. Hnng…”
Once she had her clothes back on, the redness in Lucia’s face faded away.
“Do you think you can walk?”
“That part is fine. It’s not my legs that are injured, and earlier, I couldn’t walk properly due to the pain.”
Lucia stood up as if there were no issues.
But as soon as she felt a sharp pain, she almost collapsed, but Evan quickly caught her.
“…Thank you.”
“It seems too hard for you to walk alone in this state.”
“No, you’re the one who’s struggling, I can’t burden you.”
Steadying herself, Lucia began to walk slowly.
Her pace was still unsteady, indicating she was in pain.
Evan walked alongside her, matching her pace carefully.
As they made their way, he recalled something and called out to Lucia.
“Lucia.”
“What is it?”
“If it hurts a lot, it’s okay to lean on me a little. It’s overwhelming to do this alone, especially since I’m here to help.”
“……..”
Lucia said nothing.
But her nodding indicated she accepted his words.
*
As they returned to their resting place, the two discovered Akada in one corner.
He looked lost, much like when he first fought Undine.
“Akada, are you okay?”
“Uh? No, um… I’m fine.”
He said he was fine, but he looked anything but.
His anxiousness made him bite his nails, and his eyes darted nervously.
As Evan observed Akada now, he recalled the appearance he had shown while battling Undine and connected it to his past—the first time he had to face his own actions when he killed someone.
It seemed clear to him what Akada’s behavior indicated.
‘A panic attack stemming from the trauma of facing a monster.’
An overwhelmingly strong opponent against whom no attack would land.
And comrades nearly dying.
Comparing to his past, the circumstances were eerily similar, aside from the identity of the opponent.
‘Then it also makes sense why Akada froze in Undine’s magical presence initially.’
There was one more revelation Evan could deduce.
Undine’s intentions behind her test.
Undine didn’t say to tackle her; she asked for a test of eligibility.
In other words, it was a test with actual conditions for passing, not impossible to be completed.
‘That condition is…’
Probably Akada’s willpower.
Since the beginning of the test until now, Akada had been unable to attack Undine with conviction due to his trauma.
If Undine noticed that during their first encounter and devised this test…
Then everything started to make sense.
‘She was aiming for that from the start.’
If that were true, the criterion for passing was simpler than he had imagined.
At the same time, it was a challenging standard.
Trauma leaves deep scars in the mind, and overcoming such feelings in a short time is a tall order.
‘Anyway, Lucia will also need time to heal…’
Evan decided it was best to rest for now, just like before.
*
During that quiet time when everyone was asleep.
Akada was tossing and turning in his sleep.
He was having a nightmare.
In that dream, he came face to face with a comrade from the battle against the monster who had been closer to him than anyone in the past.
Graaah!
In the dream, he battled fiercely with that friend.
“You’re the reason, Akada.”
Hearing those words, laced with resentment from his friend.
“Everyone died because of you.”
“Ugh…!”
His friend’s grip tightened around Akada’s neck.
A crushing pressure.
Feeling suffocated, he thrashed in the air.
“Sa-save me…!!”
“After making us become this way, do you still dare to speak?”
The hand squeezing his throat tightened even more.
“Don’t you hear the voices from back then?”
With his friend’s words, Akada recalled the agonizing cries from when he fought Undine.
Those voices pleading for their lives, calling his name.
“That’s not…!”
“Then die along with us.”
Akada’s friend stared at him with cold eyes and spat those words.
“Just die, Akada. Die and atone for us with your life.”
