A rooster crowed loudly, making Elizabeth open her tired eyes. There was a certain antique smell from the old wooden walls and bed frame. Her blanket was rough, and stray stabbed into her cheeks through the thin pillow cover. The mattress, if you could call it that, had a deep indent where she slept. It was not very comfortable, yet she felt at ease. This was where she spent sixteen years of her life. This was her home on New Havens. Although more than two years passed since she was there, she could still remember every single little detail. The dusty window that shined light directly into her eyes in the morning… The broken wood plank on the ceiling that her parents promised to fix for years… And the funny creaking noise whenever she wiggled in her bed… It was all there; however, at the same time, nothing remained anymore. This fantasy only existed in her dreams now.
She pushed her bed sheets away and stood up. As she walked to the window, the morning rays blinded her. It took her a minute before she could see again, and when she did, she was greeted by a familiar sight. Large fields where potatoes and corn grew in neat rows, cows lounging around in the cool grass, and chickens fighting for feed… This was the Silvera family farm. Memories of her childhood flitted through her mind. Not everything was pleasant. She had moments of sadness, of anger, of resentment too. But looking back on it now, there was only fondness. She simply had to open that door and embrace that sweet fantasy. It was never more alluring, except Elizabeth offered a bittersweet smile. The real world needed her. This was not the time to stop. Once she gathered her resolve, she shattered the dream. The last thing she saw were the fuzzy figures of her family waving her farewell.
For the second time, she woke up. The curtains fluttered in the breeze, while the soft silk sheets caressed her body. The scent of freshly cut flowers came from the bouquet on her bedside table. Compared to the rough upbringing from her childhood, this was the treatment of a king, and yet, the former felt much better. She realized this was her bedroom in Firecast, which meant that somebody must have saved them from those caves. Was it Protector Avin? The Featherwind Sect? Or maybe Lord Fredrick?
It was the same last time. In the Siege on Yongtein, Protector Avin and the Sword King healed their injuries. Her master, Rena, also played a pivotal role too. How laughable. Despite vowing to stand on her own two feet, people were always saving her. When would she gain the strength to write her own story? Like in her dreams, she tried to get up, only this time, she felt her body go weak. She could not move.
Fortunately, her movements were sensed by the knights outside, who promptly called for the maids and physicians. In less than five minutes, a dozen people rushed into her room. They checked her body, mental state, and even memories. It was a very comprehensive assessment. Interestingly, no Arcanists were present. It seemed the people responsible for her care did not fully trust them. Elizabeth did not comment and instead focused on the important questions.
"How long was I asleep?"
"Three days and two nights."
"I see… What about my friends? Are they alright?"
"Sir Benedict, Lady Shirley, and Lord Freon are resting at home."
A wave of relief washed over her. "Thank goodness. And the others?"
The maid nodded and proceeded to list off names. Nassandra, Yuna, Lady Kalasena, Lord Fredrick, and so on… Twenty! That was the final number of survivors from this trip. She was stunned. Judging by how lethal those caves were, filled to the brim with monsters, she seriously thought nobody would escape, including herself. So, for twenty people to survive… not to mention, all her friends, it was a genuine miracle. It was worthy of celebration!
The people that heard this had a different perspective. Elizabeth's party had forty members in total: fifteen Grand Knights, ten Arcane Knights, along with two Royal Guards, a Ten Dawn, and more. This was probably the highest concentration of combat power anywhere in the human world. They could cleave through armies and dominate battlefields on their own. If there was ever a definition of 'invincible', then this party would be it. At least, that was what everyone thought. Yet, more than half of them perished in some random mountains in the Zino Kingdom… It was quite unthinkable! Nobody could believe their ears! This story caused quite the stir in the upper circle.
The physicians finished their tests and reported their findings, "There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with Your Highness's mental state; however, Your Highness's vitality is extremely weak. Most of the injuries have been treated, but we recommend staying in bed for another month to recover."
"A month?" Elizabeth repeated with open eyes.
"Yes, we will reassess Your Highness's condition every day to be safe. I hope Your Highness can understand," the man stated firmly.
She sighed. "I understand. You may leave now."
"Pardon us."
Once the physicians left, the maids began their work. They changed her bandages, combed her hair, and wiped her body down. Despite being very careful, whenever somebody grazed her wounds, it stung badly. She could not help cringing. After that was done, servants brought in a freshly cooked meal. The aroma tickled her nose and made her tummy rumble. It must have been days since she ate anything. She happily devoured everything and demanded more. Only after the third meal did she burp with satisfaction. To have master chefs cook her food was a perk she enjoyed.
Strength gradually returned to her body, and she could think clearly again. The first thing she did was to check her Core. During the last desperate struggle against the lava salamander, she was forced to use World Energy and that never came free. She was afraid to see the consequences. And the result was… her Core Level was the same as before: Half-Condensed Drop. That did not change. What did change though was the heavy damage to her Channels. This was arguably just as bad as dropping in Core Level, since the Channels were what connected the Core to magic spells. Crippling them was the same as crippling her as an Arcanist. It would be a challenge to cast anything until they were properly fixed.
"Someone who specializes in healing Channels, huh…" she muttered.
There used to be someone like that: Ten Dawn Iris Cisvernia, the White Healer. Unfortunately, the woman died in the Siege on Yongtein. Thinking back to that battle, she recalled Ten Dawn Iris taught her a spell to heal her Core and Channels, but she ended up not using it, because her master intervened. It was called Bounded Wheel. Should she try it? Elizabeth frowned and eventually shook her head. No, there was something else she should do.
"Please inform my friends that I'm awake," she asked the head maid.
"Understood, Your Highness."
She fell back onto her pillow. "What should I do next?"
Elsewhere, Shirley was bedridden like Elizabeth. Robert, her youngest brother, cried his eyes out as he hugged her. His tears and snot drenched her shirt wet. No matter what she said, he refused to listen. Helpless, she wanted to pat him on the head to calm him down, except her arms were broken. Her mother gently held her hand. A pained expression showed on the woman's face. Because of Shirley's World Energy usage, she had new wrinkles and grey hairs. It looked like she aged ten years in one go! Anybody would be shocked to see her change so much in a few days. Shirley smiled softly. Even though her vitality was heavily wounded, she managed to save two people. She had no regrets.
"Stay right here. I'll get you something to eat."
"Ah, wait. I'm not hungry…" Shirley tried to stop her mother, but she was already gone.
"Give up. You know how our mother is," Charles said, off to the side. Looking away, he added, "You worried us, you idiot."
"Sorry."
"Come on, Robert. Stop sticking to our sister like that. She needs to rest."
"I don't want to!" the little boy clung to her harder.
"Robert," Charles raised his voice, making the boy freeze.
"It's fine. Let him," Shirley said.
"But…"
"I'm not that hurt. I'll be back on my feet before you know it."
"Stop acting tough, you idiot. Isn't it time to you explain what happened? How did you get like this?"