Elincia's Point of View

Temple

“How can you not know!?” The Zugal Representative demanded. “It’s your job to know.”

“Massive creatures deep in the forests are not under my, or my sister’s, control. We have no say in what they do or where they go.” I replied, annoyed.

“You don’t even know what it is!”

“Then let me inquire as to how I would possibly know what it is?” I asked back. “Given the condition of our city, the Temple, and you Representatives, there was no way I could leave to go investigate.” Then I glared at the Northern Kingdom Ambassador. “If you have no other complaints, feel free to remain in our care or return home. It matters not at this moment.”

“I-“

Leaning forward, my magic ignited. “You have overstayed your welcome in the time span of two days. While we are not allies, do not mistake my annoyance for leniency. Continue down this path, and you will be removed from Lestrania forcefully.” The snob finally shut up. “But perhaps it would be best to keep you here to explain to someone when they finally come looking for you.” Clearly offended, he left without another word. “Leech.”

Ever since the attack, Arthur’s disappearance, and the movement deep within the Hollow Forest, many have been on edge. Not just Lestranians, but the visiting envoys as well. Many demanded answers, while others kept silent and waited. More and more, things seemed to be spiraling out of control. So much uncertainty in the future left even me feeling uneasy.

Closing my eyes for a moment, I decided to teleport to the medical wing. “Priestess Elincia!” One of the doctors greeted me when I opened my eyes.

“How is Aydalia Farro?” I inquired.

“She’s stable. If not for Sir Arthur transferring some of his magic to her, it’s likely she wouldn’t’ve survived. That’s because of the boost in magic. It improved her body’s natural recovery.” He then paused as we walked. “However…”

Quirking a brow at that, my eyes studied him. “However?”

The doctor sighed. “However, it’s likely that she’ll never fully recover.” Handing me some documents, I looked them over and frowned. “Lady Farro will be scarred for life. Horribly so. Even her magical abilities will be greatly reduced because of her injuries.”

I shuffled through the papers and read while listening. “Her surviving at all is a miracle. I have faced many foes in my life, Demons included, but never before would I have imagined someone being killed by hot wax.”

Burns covered over ninety percent of her body. How she survived could only be explained by Arthur’s interference. Wax filled with Demonic Magic and hot enough to melt through clothes, skin, bones, and more. Apparently, the doctors suspect that Aydalia covered herself in a barrier for only a moment before she was covered. It didn’t do much to mitigate the burns, but it did save her life.

My nose curled. “Disgusting.” Handing the papers back, I tiredly rubbed my temple. “No Demon has ever been so bold as to attack our capital. At least, not for thousands of years.”

“Shall I show you to her room?”

“How is she doing?” I asked.

“She has many visitors. Most come with tears in their eyes and leave sobbing.” The Doctor informed me. “Lady Farro has yet to awaken, which might be a blessing at this point. Even with magic, she will be very uncomfortable when she wakes up.”

With a sigh, I gave him an approving wave. “Keep her asleep as long as possible through the recovery period. Only wake her in increments if necessary until she has healed to a less horrifying degree.”

He nodded before gesturing down another hallway. “We have other news as well.”

Following him, I quirked a brow. “What news?”

“The stasis revolving around Sir Arthur’s arm has subsided.” My eyes widened slightly at that. “We assumed it was due to Demonic Magic running rampant in the Temple, but the arm itself seems fine. It’s currently on ice waiting for Sir Arthur to be reattached.”

Opening a door, we entered a windowless room. Inside was a series of examination tables, all empty except for one. On the table held Arthur’s arm. The sheer insanity of what I was looking at wasn’t lost on me. Arthur was a mystery, to be sure, but his ability to recover and heal from wounds was massive. This just revealed how extreme his healing factor was.

Neither my sister nor I could do something like this. “Doctor,” I called out to him before summoning my magic to destroy the arm. “Don’t tell anyone about this.” The amount of magic it took to erase the arm entirely was far greater than I would’ve thought. “No one can know.”

“I’m confused, Priestess.” He replied as he could only watch. “I thought you wanted to heal Sir Arthur.”

The arm was destroyed after a moment, and I sighed. “Arthur has a new arm. Given everything that has occurred, it seems to me that he forgot that this arm was here.” I glanced at the Doctor. “This is an order and a warning,” I began before turning to him fully. “Not a word, Doctor. Don’t even bring it up.”

After a moment, he bowed. “As you command.”

Arceana is already on edge as it is. After everything that’s happened, there’s no telling what she might do if she finds out that Arthur was able to regrow his arm. Not just reattach it but make a new one altogether. The extremes she might be willing to go to are not something I want to deal with. Besides, I owed Arthur this.